Oil and gas leases pulled back! Wyoming’s Adobe Town gets reprieve
There is a place in south-central Wyoming’s Red Desert region that is so wild and pristine the state designated the area as "Very Rare or Uncommon" back in 2007. While locals recognized the major significance of this spectacular wilderness and spiritual place, Adobe Town was facing a serious threat from a proposal by the Bureau of Land Management to open the area up to oil and gas development. The threat was halted this week, with the BLM announcing the removal of 15 parcels from a Dec. 1 auction in Cheyenne following legal protests by The Wilderness Society and our coalition partners.
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The Bureau of Land Management recently announced that all 14,842 acres of lease parcels in Adobe Town were off the table while they seek guidance from Washington, D.C., on "wilderness issues."
This is a large step forward in protecting Adobe Town, in the remote desert badlands with narrow canyons that wind through a colorful hillside, and is home to a variety of animals including burrowing owls and ferruginous hawks, the largest hawk species in North America.
"It’s breath of fresh air the BLM has decided to draw a line in the sand and not lease away one of our most cherished places," said Nada Culver, Senior Counsel at The Wilderness Society. "This is proof when people from all walks of life stick up for a special spot, we can ensure new generations of Americans will always have a place to hunt, camp and hike."
The threat facing Adobe Town is not over. The BLM has been working to approve a total of 15,000 wells in the surrounding Red Desert region. These are coupled with 5000 wells that have already been drilled, bringing along with them towering drilling rigs and worksites, pipelines as far as the eye can see, and increased road traffic that is destructive to neighboring habitats.
The impacts of these wells extend beyond these concerns to include many other environmental threats. The Wilderness Society and our partners will continue to fight on behalf of our members, local residents, and the Sweetwater County Commission who passed a resolution recommending the withdrawal of the southern two-thirds of Adobe Town from oil and gas leasing. We’ll let you know how you can play a role in this effort soon.
photo: Adobe Town, Wyoming. Courtesy Biodiversity Conservation Alliance.
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Mike Anderson, J.D.
Mike has been with The Wilderness Society since 1985. His main focus is national forest management and policy, ranging from roadless area conservation to watershed restoration. He also helps coordinate all of The Wilderness Society's litigation activities.
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Comments
Oil Leases, and sops to Cerebus
Great news! Up to a point. Seems that the so-called "environmental protection" we have been getting since the Bush Era departure has been really a halting of environmental annihilation. The Bush policies are coursing through Nature;s carotid artery, and so far, Secretary Salazar has provided a tourniquet.
To continue with metaphors: envrionmental America (leave alone Planet Earth!) is dying, and the meagre "protection" we have received does little but prolong the end. The inroads and the incursions advance development ever forward, while wilderness, wildlife, ecosystems retreat ever further into oblivion.
The biggest problem with the new Administration's policy is that it has the appearance of enviormental friendship. Like a half-truth, it is hard to fight such an appearance. The opposition is made to look unreasonable and even silly, or worse, unpatriotic in its stance against unnecessary oil, timber, and mineral exploitation. Then, when we DO fight against the greed- and profit-based policy decisions, they toss out a sop to Cerebus and expect our gratitude worthy of a real meal.
We need to hammer home the reality of what I believe to be a superb scheme by business interests to demand 100 % of the environment and then bargain our leaders "down" to 80 %.