Utah Wilderness News, April 9, 2012

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