Protect the Wyoming Range From Drilling!
Thousands of oil and gas wells operate on Bureau of Land Management land in Wyoming, and companies are pushing to drill at least 9,000 more in the years to come. The U.S. Forest Service proposed a plan that would stop oil and gas leases along the eastern flank of the Wyoming Range, part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, but they need our support.
Stopping oil and gas drilling would protect wildlife habitat for wolves, endangered lynx and native cutthroat trout. Additionally, stopping drilling protect human communities from pollution and the boom and bust economic effects.
But the agency needs public support to protect Wyoming's namesake mountains from new oil and gas leasing. Tell the U.S. Forest Service to protect the Wyoming Range and to stop all further drilling!
Dear Carole Hamilton,
Oversight of our public lands is all about striking the proper degree of balance. In Wyoming there are already thousands of oil and gas wells on BLM lands in Sublette County and more than 9,000 additional wells projected to be drilled in the region in the years to come.
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I support the no action/no leasing preferred alternative for the eastern flank of the Wyoming Range, to ensure that the wildlife, clean water, and unique recreational opportunities of this special place will be spared from development.
I applaud you for recognizing the tremendous wildlife and recreation values at stake and the diverse support for protecting Wyoming's namesake mountains from new oil and gas leasing. I urge you to finalize the EIS soon and issue a decision this spring that ensures none of the 44,700 acres of contested leases are issued or validated.
As you know, a no leasing preference is consistent with the sustained efforts of a broad coalition of labor, sportsmen, business, and conservation interests who have worked for years to protect the Wyoming Range. In fact, it was these leasing proposals in 2005-2006 that first generated broad public support for the Range, which ultimately led in 2009 to passage of the Wyoming Range Legacy Act.
Your final decision is critical to ensuring that some places remain free from industrial development in order to support other uses.
