TRCP Protests Federal Energy Leases in Utah
News for Immediate Release
August 7, 2007
Contact: Joel Webster, 406-360-3904, jwebster@trcp.org
TRCP Protests Federal Energy Leases in Utah
Group says parcels are being offered without adequate planning for wildlife conservation, concern for multiple-use management
WASHINGTON – Citing inadequate environmental analysis and conservation planning for mule deer populations, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) today announced that it has filed a formal protest of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to offer 29 parcels in Utah’s Summit, Millard and Juab counties. The national conservation coalition’s protest covers 46,000 acres of land slated to go on the auction block on Aug. 21.
“The BLM is putting Utah’s world-class mule deer herd in unnecessary jeopardy,” said TRCP Field Representative Joel Webster. “When a federal agency clears the way to industrialize prime habitat without proper planning for species conservation or to ensure the future of hunting in the area, we have no choice but to protest.
“We absolutely agree that increasing our domestic energy supply needs to be a national priority,” Webster continued. “But development needs to be guided by science-based planning that is sensitive to the needs of fish and wildlife. We have not yet seen careful planning for these 46,000 acres.”
“The BLM is required to use the best information available when making decisions, and that includes input from the public and current scientific research,” said Steve Belinda, TRCP Energy Initiative Manager. “That requirement has not yet been met on these parcels.
“Major problems loom when an agency leases first and asks important questions about fish and wildlife later,” Belinda continued. “It’s like building a house before you have the blueprints.”
“Once BLM issues those leases, a contractual obligation exists to develop the land,” said William Geer, a TRCP initiative manager and former director of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. “If the BLM sells these leases and then later realizes it erred because of important wildlife or recreational values, there’s almost no going back. It’s time to start planning before we act.”
“Sportsmen hunting mule deer in Wyoming’s Upper Green River region are seeing shorter seasons and fewer available tags as a result of irresponsible energy development on top of serious drought and loss of habitat,” said Geer. "Without visible pre-drilling plans and agency commitments for exactly how mule deer will be sustained during development, Utah hunters could face the same losses."
Recent research has concluded that energy development has an immediate and significant effect on mule deer use of winter ranges and overall populations. As outlined in its FACTS for Fish and Wildlife, the TRCP believes that all energy development decisions must be based on scientific realities such as these.
Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions of hunting and fishing.
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