DOI, SUWA
attorneys agree previous administration's energy policies failed —
decisions
must incorporate wilderness considerations
"'All
signs are that the Department of Interior is taking a much more active
role in
ensuring that energy development is treated as but one of a number of
federal
resources that include wilderness, recreation, water resources, wildlife
and
others,' [Heidi] McIntosh said. 'Gone for now is a single-faceted
management
philosophy in which oil and development is the BLM's No. 1 priority.'" Read more – Salt Lake
Tribune

Administration
acknowledges climate change risks in land management
decisions
"A federal judge has approved a
first-of-its-kind settlement requiring
the government to suspend 38,000 acres of oil and gas leases in Montana
so it can gauge how oil field activities contribute to climate change.
At issue are the greenhouse gases emitted by drilling machinery
and
industry practices such as venting natural gas directly into the
atmosphere." Read
more – Washington Post

As much energy
as a baked potato?
"We've all heard the horror stories from Canada.
 The Alberta tar sands project is among the most environmentally
destructive projects in the world…However, a tar sands project,
the first of its kind in the United States, is happening here in the
eastern Utah desert, not far from Moab, Arches National Park, and
Dinosaur National Monument." Read
more – Daily Kos