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The Wyoming Range Needs Your Help Today!

Action needed by 28, 2008

The Situation
For the past few months, a coalition of hunters, elected officials, recreationists, conservationists and labor unions have come together to work towards a common goal: protecting the Wyoming Range from oil and gas drilling. We achieved a significant milestone when a bill to protect the Range was introduced last fall. Located entirely within the Bridger-Teton National Forest, the 100-mile Wyoming Range is home to elk, mule deer, four species of cutthroat trout, sage grouse, grizzlies and wolves.

But right now, the Forest Service is deciding whether to lease 44,700 acres on the eastern flank of the Wyoming Range for oil and gas drilling before this legislation has a chance to move through Congress.

Take Action:

Write to the Forest Service today and tell them to cancel the 44,700 acres of leases and respect the spirit of the bill moving through Congress. Comments are due to the Forest Service by April 28. We urge you to send in your personalized comment today, describing why the Wyoming Range is important to you and why you think these leases should be canceled. Feel free to use the sample letter as a springboard for your own, personalized comments.

Sample letter:
I am writing to ask you to cancel the leases for 44,720 acres of the Wyoming Range for oil and gas development, originally issued in 2005 and 2006. Because these leases are in a contested status as a result of successful protests and appeals, the Forest Service has the unique opportunity to make a critical decision. I am asking you not to lease these parcels.

These acres are the eastern gateway to the Wyoming Range, containing prime moose, deer and elk habitat, blue-ribbon fisheries and unlimited recreational opportunities. I believe the best use for this part of the Bridger-Teton National Forest is to keep it the wild, backcountry paradise Wyoming people and the nation value.

Over the past several years the public has made its wishes known: we want this place off limits to oil and gas development. Hunters, anglers, ranchers, elected officials, labor union members, tourism groups, recreational users, homeowners, conservationists and many other concerned citizens have worked tirelessly to see that Congress passes a bill to protect the Wyoming Range, which would protect the range from future oil and gas leasing. I am asking you to respect the voice of the people and to not authorize new oil and gas leases in the Wyoming Range.

Sincerely,
Your name
Your address

Talking Points:
The Forest Service should not consider leasing 44,700 acres for oil and gas drilling while a bill is moving through Congress to protect 1.2 million acres of the Wyoming Range from oil and gas leasing. A diverse coalition of hunters, anglers, recreationists, tourism interests, conservationists and elected officials came together in an effort to protect the Wyoming Range for future generations.

If we can’t protect the Wyoming Range – a crown jewel of rugged, wild mountain wilderness in our National Forest system – from industrialization, then there’s no hope for balanced and responsible energy policy in our nation. Some places are too special to drill.

Southwestern Wyoming has experienced a boom in oil and gas drilling in the last few years. In fact, the massive increase in drilling has led to a series of ozone warnings for Sublette County in the middle of winter. Local citizens have expressed concern over health risks associated with natural gas drilling and sent a petition to the Governor asking for an independent assessment of plans to expand drilling in the area. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has also voiced concern about the elevated ozone levels in the area. Leasing another 44,700 acres in the county for oil and gas drilling will only exacerbate environmental health and air quality problems.

The Wyoming Range is home to elk, mule deer, four species of cutthroat trout, sage grouse, lynx, grizzlies and wolves. Oil and gas drilling on the range could disrupt critical wildlife habitat and migration routes through road-building, air and water pollution, and noise disruptions.

More Information:

Send comments to:
Stephen Haydon, Forest Minerals Staff
Bridger-Teton National Forest
340 N.Cache
P.O. Box 1888
Jackson, WY 83001

Or electronically to: comments-intermtn-bridger-teton@fs.fed.us

For more information, visit our forests page.