'Are we losing the home place?'

Walt Gasson (executive director of the Wyoming Wildlife Federation) - I wanted to be able to get behind the new alternative being proposed for natural gas drilling on the Pinedale Anticline. But in the end what I see here, despite weeks of media hype and what must have been a jillion dollars in public relations spending, is more of the same. What gets lost in the countless full-page ads in Wyoming's newspapers and radio commercials are the long-term cumulative impacts these management decisions will have on our crucial big game winter range and sage grouse habitats. The Bureau of Land Management continues to pursue its development at-all-costs policy for natural gas development in Wyoming.  I ask that residents get engaged in energy development conversations, so that we can collectively decide about what we want to have happen on our "home place." Read entire opinion piece at Casper Star-Tribune.

Read another opinion piece at Casper Star-Tribune.

News articles on BLM's new alternatives and recent open-houses in Pinedale:
Ozone levels rise again in Sublette (3/11/08)
'The last place this should be' (3/1/08)
State issues ozone warning (2/28/08)
EPA raps Anticline analysis (2/21/08)
EPA slams new plan for Sublette gas field (2/20/08)
   ... Read EPA letter here!
Huge show of support for year-round drilling (2/13/08)
Statewide crowd for BLM meeting (1/23/08)
BLM releases more Anticline options (12/29/07)
BLM offers new Anticline options (9/2/07)

Read about the new management alternatives and the Pinedale Anticline Oil & Gas Exploration and Development Project

News Videos about Pinedale Anticline

• A flight over Pinedale (CNN)
• Energy, wealth, and wildlife: Wyoming looks for harmony (CNN)
• Coping with the boom in Pinedale (Rocky Mountain News)
• Cowboys and economics in Wyoming (Rocky Mountain News)
• Natural gas boom impacts rural Wyoming Town (PBS)
• Wyoming wealth vs. wildlife (CNN)

  See other videos in our Multimedia section!

On June 15, 2007, National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and Wyoming Wildlife Federation (WWF) submitted joint comments to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on the Draft Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for the Pinedale Resource Area (Plan). This Plan will determine the management of over 900,000 acres of federal surface and about 1.2 million acres of federal mineral estate lands in Sublette, Lincoln, and Fremont Counties.

Bounded by the Wind River, Gros Ventre, and Wyoming ranges, the Pinedale Resource Area contains crucial big-game winter habitat, the longest migration corridor for pronghorn ever documented, and contains some of the best “stronghold” habitat nationwide for sage-grouse.

The Wyoming Wildlife Federation supports responsible energy development that includes measures to protect wildlife resources and recreational opportunities on public land. However, language in the Plan such as “Wildlife habitat would generally only be protected if a mineral commodity is not present for extraction” [4-210] is grounds for great concern.

As the Plan’s Preferred Alternative is currently written, big game crucial winter habitat, parturition (birthing) areas, and migration routes as well as sage grouse leks and winter concentration areas will be negatively impacted by the 7,000 new wells proposed over the next 10 to 15 years. In some areas, exceptions would be considered to allow year-round drilling where seasonal restrictions currently exist. These seasonal restrictions protect big game species and sage grouse during their most vulnerable times of the year, including winter and breeding seasons.

With increased development and yearlong drilling activity wildlife may have to resort to less suitable habitat, if available, which is likely to reduce population numbers. The mitigation measures, monitoring and adaptive management proposed in the Plan can aid in offsetting adverse impacts to wildlife, but BLM’s Preferred Alternative includes far too many exceptions and loopholes.

For example, the measures proposed by the BLM to protect sage grouse and big game species have not proven effective to date in offsetting the negative impacts from energy development. The BLM itself admits that the buffers it proposes for sage grouse “would inadequately protect sage grouse leks, nesting success, and recruitment of yearlings...”

Additionally, although the Sublette Mule Deer Study was referenced in the Plan, the Preferred Alternative appears to ignore the results of that research. According to the study, mule deer experience reduced habitat effectiveness within 160 acres surrounding each well pad (Sawyer and Lindzey 2001). However, the BLM calls for well spacing throughout the developed fields to be a maximum of 160 acres (5 to 10 acre spacing in the Jonah Field, 120 to 160 acre spacing in the Anticline Field and 40 to 60 acre spacing in other oil and gas developments) (Pinedale RMP DEIS at 4-184 to 4-185). The Sublette Mule Deer Study also found a 46% decrease in mule deer in the intensely developed Pinedale Anticline.

The impact of 7,000 new wells on important wildlife habitat is unknown, but will likely be significant under BLM’s Preferred Alternative. While the BLM is considering development on at least 70% of the resource area, the agency did recognize some areas that should be unavailable for leasing and protected from full development. BLM’s Preferred Alternative includes four areas of critical environmental concern (ACEC) covering 14,530 acres.

NWF/WWF’s comments were thorough and voiced solid recommendations that, if accepted, will move BLM’s Plan toward a more balanced solution incorporating development and necessary habitat for wildlife. We are awaiting the release of the Final RMP/EIS, due out in a matter of months.

Additional Resources:

Bureau of Land Management's webpage on the Pinedale RMP

Read the Pinedale Anticline Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

Watch a video from CNN that takes you on a flight over Pinedale's two natural gas fields

Read scientific studies on the effects of oil and gas development on wildlife

Read the Upper Green River Valley Coalition Position Paper on Proposed Drilling Escalation in the Pinedale Anticline Gas Field