About 80 people gathered at the Utah governor’s mansion today to protest a slew of anti-environmental policies, including recent threats to take over 30 million acres of public land and to sue the federal government over more than 25,000 bogus “road” claims across parks and proposed wilderness.  The jovial crowd held signs reading “Governor Herbert: Stop the War on Utah’s Wilderness” and “Keep Public Lands in Public Hands,” among others.  Honks of approval from passing cars were heard from inside the mansion, where governors from neighboring western states had been invited for an environmental strategy session.

Here’s what is happening this month with the redrock:
1.  Support for protecting Desolation Canyon spreads nationwide.
2.  Today Fort Ord, can Greater Canyonlands be next?
3.  House continues its war on wilderness.
4.  Attend events in Moab and Boulder, CO to celebrate Greater Canyonlands!


Drumbeat continues against Desolation Canyon drilling proposal

Last month, we told you about the Interior Department’s ill-conceived plan to allow Gasco to drill over 200 natural gas wells in the Desolation Canyon proposed wilderness.

This photo is of Desolation Canyon – at the Sand Wash airstrip looking north to the Sand Wash put-in. Drilling of gas wells proposed by the Obama administration could be seen and heard from this site.

Since then, voices from across the country have stood up and urged Interior to instead adopt an alternative proposal that would spare Desolation Canyon’s wild lands from the impacts of energy development.

In the past month, the Salt Lake Tribune has not once, but twice declared that this is not the way to do things.  The New York Times also editorialized against this boondoggle. The Akron Beacon-Journal in northeast Ohio joined in on the criticism of the project.

Additionally, six public lands champions in Congress sent the Obama administration a letter asking Interior to fix the Desolation Canyon drilling plan.

But most importantly,YOU have taken action against drilling in the Desolation Canyon proposed wilderness, sending almost 20,000 messages to the Obama administration so far through action alerts and petition signatures.

Let’s keep up the drumbeat! While the initial “waiting period” for the final decision on this proposal ended on April 16, the BLM hasn’t issued its ‘record of decision’ for the Gasco project and can still change its mind about which alternative to adopt.

You can help spread the word by sharing our Change.org petition throughout your social networks — tell your friends to also take action to protect Desolation Canyon!


Obama declares second national monument – what will be next?


Today, Friday, April 20, President Obama designated the second national monument of his first term by protecting Fort Ord in California.  Has he caught a serious case of monument fever?

Colorado College students are wild about protecting Greater Canyonlands!

That has yet to be determined, but Greater Canyonlands supporters across the country sure have.  From participating in our Facebook campaign to waving “President Obama: Protect Greater Canyonlands” signs at events, redrock activists are going wild about protecting Greater Canyonlands.

Last week, college students from Colorado College donned bright yellow and black “Tell President Obama: Protect Greater Canyonlands” t-shirts when Interior Secretary Ken Salazar visited campus.  Elsewhere around Colorado, college students have been busy collecting postcards and Facebook messages in support of the campaign.  And local organizations in Moab are planning to celebrate Greater Canyonlands as part of their Earth Day celebration.

Want to help convince President Obama to make Greater Canyonlands the next national monument? Here’s how:

1) “Like” the Protect Greater Canyonlands Facebook page and invite friends to “like” the page as well.

2) Send a photo message to President Obama and use it to spread the word about protecting Greater Canyonlands.  Visit our Facebook app or greatercanyonlands.org to get started.  You’ll also be entered to win a prize in a monthly drawing — a Petzl headlamp is the prize for May!

3) Send President Obama an email message by clicking here.

4) Visit greatercanyonlands.org to find out other ways that you can amplify your message to President Obama.


Angling to chip away at conservation, House passes flawed “hunting” bill

This week the House of Representatives passed a deeply flawed “hunting” bill, H.R. 4099, chipping away wilderness and Wilderness Study Area protections, and watering down the President’s authority to designate national monuments under the Antiquities Act.

The latter occurred when the House passed an amendment requiring national monument designations to be approved by the state legislatures and governor of the host state. Had such provisions been in effect previously, national treasures like Arches, Bryce and Zion National Parks, and the Grand Tetons National Park would not have been protected by the short-sighted Utah and Wyoming legislatures of the time.

And though it was ostensibly about guaranteeing hunting and fishing rights on federal land (rights which are already robustly protected, and which we support), the effective language of the bill raised concern it would allow commercial development and motorized use in areas managed as wilderness if those activities could be justified by hunting or fishing. An amendment to clarify such activities would not be allowed failed, indicating that indeed, the intent was chip away at habitats—not protect hunters.

It’s now up to the Senate to keep this bad bill language—which guts the Antiquities Act and tramples wilderness—off of the President’s desk.


Celebrate Greater Canyonlands in Moab, UT and Boulder, CO!

Planning to be in southeastern Utah tomorrow, Saturday, April 21?  Don’t miss the 1st Annual Moab Earth Day Bazaar: An Ode to Greater Canyonlands! This free event starts at 11 a.m. at Swanny Park.  Click here for more information.

Next month, renowned climbers Lynn Hill and Steve “Crusher” Bartlett will talk about the Greater Canyonlands region as a resource for climbers and a place worthy of protection at Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder, CO on May 17.  More info coming soon!  Email Jackie at jackie@suwa.org with questions.


Sign the petition to protect Greater Canyonlands

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) just issued the following press release:

Hinchey Leads Coalition to Protect Utah’s Desolation Canyon from Irresponsible Drilling Plan

Letter to Interior Secretary Salazar Urges More Responsible Alternative

Washington, DC - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) this week sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar opposing a drilling plan in northeastern Utah that would devastate Desolation Canyon, a nationally important wilderness area that is home to spectacular, but sensitive, landscapes. The letter signed by several other key House Democrats, including Reps. Ed Markey (D-MA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Jim Moran (D-VA), Rush Holt (D-NJ), and Diana DeGette (D-CO), urged the adoption of an alternative plan that would allow the vast majority of drilling activity to move forward, while protecting important wilderness areas.

“The wild public lands of Desolation Canyon are a national treasure that belong to the American people and should be protected for generations to come,” said Hinchey. “What we are asking for is that 1,100 wells be drilled instead of 1,300. By making this modest adjustment we can preserve Desolation Canyon and the surrounding wilderness areas. What took millions of years for nature to create should not be destroyed by an irresponsible decision at the Department of the Interior. I am hopeful Secretary Salazar will make the right decision and protect the wild lands of Desolation Canyon.”

Multiple drilling scenarios were examined in a recently released Bureau of Land Management environmental impact statement. The preferred alternative of BLM would allow approximately 1,300 wells to be drilled, disturbing 9,466 Wilderness acres. The plan endorsed by Hinchey and his colleagues would allow 1,100 wells to be drilled without any significant disturbance to wilderness acres.

The full text of the letter follows:

Honorable Ken Salazar
United States Department of the Interior
1849 C St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20005

Dear Mr. Secretary,

We are writing to you to express our concern over the effects on wilderness of the preferred alternative identified in the recently released Gasco final environmental impact statement. Under the Department’s current preferred alternative for this project, a substantial portion of the Desolation Canyon proposed wilderness – an area the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and conservation groups agree is a wilderness caliber landscape –could be devastated. This iconic western landscape is a key component of H.R. 1916, America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, a piece of legislation we have long championed and that enjoys substantial support in the Congress. Protecting this area is a matter of preeminent importance to us.

Though the BLM recognizes that Desolation Canyon is a wilderness resource, the area is managed under a significantly flawed plan finalized in the last administration and those values are not being upheld. You, Deputy Secretary Hayes and Director Abbey have all stated publicly that the decisions made in the Vernal resource management plan regarding wilderness – made without the benefit of any wilderness guidance whatsoever – should not be the final word on how to manage this critical resource. “Alternative E” would protect the Desolation Canyon proposed wilderness while still allowing significant natural gas development. According to the BLM, under “Alternative E,” the company would drill 1,114 new natural gas wells, compared with 1,298 under the agency’s preferred alternative. Therefore, we urge you to select “Alternative E” for the Gasco project, which will better balance the need to protect these special areas while allowing for the responsible development of our natural gas resources.

In its comments on the draft environmental impact statement, the Environmental Protection Agency urged the BLM to adopt Alternative E because it would allow the company to aggressively develop its leases while minimizing the project’s footprint. Alternative E is also the choice of Utah’s important outdoor recreation industry, conservation organizations, and thousands of Americans, including many of our constituents.

Most importantly, Alternative E is consistent with the President’s commitment to develop our nation’s natural gas resources in a way that does not sacrifice clean air, clean water, or our wild public lands. We fully support that commitment which is best embodied by this win-win alternative.

Sincerely,

Maurice D. Hinchey

Ed Markey

Raul Grijalva

Jim Moran

Rush Holt

Diana DeGette

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Here at SUWA, we’re thrilled to see these Congressional champs holding the Department of Interior accountable to improve this flawed plan to drill the spectacular Desolation Canyon wilderness, and we thank them for their leadership on this issue. If you haven’t signed the petition to encourage a more responsible drilling alternative, please sign it here.

Interior is “making the wrong move”

“But on one new project, the Interior Department is making the wrong move. It has tentatively approved a huge, overly aggressive natural gas drilling project in northeastern Utah. Gasco, a Denver-based company, plans to sink 1,298 wells in the next 15 years on 206,000 acres. About 200 of these wells would threaten Desolation Canyon, a wild, spectacular and fragile landscape.”  Editorial – The New York Times

A trend towards reasonable compromise could be coming to an end

“The problem is not that there will be new gas wells in eastern Utah. The problem is that neither Gasco nor the BLM has shown any inclination to slow down and talk to the conservation groups — as Bill Barrett and Enduring Resources responsibly did — about some tweaks that would minimize environmental damages.”  Editorial – The Salt Lake Tribune

A win-win scenario

“The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has announced its intention to approve a major Uinta Basin drilling expansion that seemingly has something for everyone — 3,675 wells to continue the boom, air-quality controls to limit ozone and river canyon protections that environmentalists like.”  Read more – The Salt Lake Tribune