The year 2005 looks to bring us not only challenges but opportunities as well. The November elections brought many successful pro-conservation ballot initiatives. But anti-conservation forces on Capitol Hill and in the Administration will continue to work on behalf of big industry, at the expense of our nation's public lands.
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
In the first four months of 2005, the drilling lobby will be pushing harder than ever to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling. Since drilling forces still lack the support to pass the controversial measure under normal Senate rules, they will instead attempt a back-door ploy. Their plan is to attach hypothetical drilling revenues to the federal government’s budget bill, which requires fewer votes to pass.
Our job is to keep the Arctic Refuge issue out of the budget negotiations, where it clearly doesn’t belong. With your help, we will do it. And it’s vital that we succeed -- House Majority Leader Rep. Tom Delay (R, TX) has said that he sees the Arctic as a test case, and that if they can force drilling there, then any protected place on sensitive public lands will be fair game.
Congress will be considering the budget soon after they come back in early January. It is not too soon to let your Representative and Senators know how you feel about this procedural end-run. Let them know we have the majority of the American people on our side; a December 22 Zogby poll found nearly 60 percent think the backdoor budget scheme is the wrong way to address drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
If you haven’t taken action in the last month, click here to tell your members of Congress to keep the Arctic Refuge out of the budget bill.
National Forests and Roadless Area Protection
The Administration is continuing their efforts to open up 58.5 million acres of our nation’s most pristine roadless forests to logging, road building and other development. This, despite the fact that protection for our roadless forests is favored by scientists, economists, local business leaders, hunters, anglers, and nearly 4 million Americans who have expressed their support for keeping them intact.
The final rule establishing how Roadless Areas will be managed could be released at any time. Our job will be to work with governors to stop or reduce the damage to specific forests as the rule is applied.
For the second year in a row, the Administration announced a harmful new forest policy on the eve of the Christmas holiday. On December 22, the administration released their new National Forest Management Act (NFMA) regulations, which will impact every forest management effort on our nation’s 192-million-acre national forest system.
The new rules have serious consequences for wildlife, clean water, and other environmental protections. Additionally, the new rule sharply limits the opportunity for meaningful participation by citizens in local forest planning. We will work this year to make sure the public’s voice continues to be heard in National Forest management.
Meanwhile, the US Forest Service celebrates its 100th anniversary this week, and TWS President Bill Meadows participated in one of the panel discussions at the centennial celebration. Meadows urged the agency to focus on restoration, new wilderness area designations, protection of old-growth and roadless forests, and effective management of outdoor recreation.
From Treasured Places to Drilling Fields
In 2005, we must also be prepared to stop the auctioning off of our public lands as well as fight to protect a landmark federal lands law from being weakened.
Making oil and gas development the primary purpose and use of our nation’s public lands has long been a goal of this Administration. And we expect that effort to continue, as some members of Congress attempt to weaken the Federal Lands Policy Management Act (FLPMA) to ease restrictions on energy leasing across wide areas of the West.
Although some level of energy leasing on our public lands is appropriate, it should not be the primary use of these lands. A recent Wilderness Society analysis confirms that the energy industry is simply stockpiling leases and drilling permits while the political climate favors development over conservation.
While drilling permit approvals on Western public lands increased by 62 percent in 2004, the number of new wells that were drilled declined by nearly 10 percent – despite high natural gas prices. Said The Wilderness Society’s Pete Morton:
“With 30 million acres of leased land in the Rocky Mountain West not in production and the increasing surplus of drilling permits, there is no reason why the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) must continue to include environmentally sensitive public lands in their regular oil and gas lease sales in Colorado Utah, and Wyoming.”
In 2004, for example, the BLM has so far auctioned for oil and gas development more than 39,000 acres in Colorado and more than 109,000 acres in Utah that citizens have formally (and painstakingly) proposed for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System.
Season’s Cheer: New Wilderness Opportunities
Building upon 2004 victories in Wisconsin and Nevada, efforts to extend wilderness protection to additional public lands hold great promise in 2005. In addition to those below, similar opportunities exist among public lands in Washington, Oregon, West Virginia, and elsewhere nationwide.
It's been 17 years since the Congress designated new wilderness in New Mexico. However, that could change with the passage of the proposed Ojito Wilderness Area, an extension of greater protection to 11,000 acres of existing public lands that has been recommended by the BLM for over a decade. The Bill passed the House in 2004, and while the legislation will have to start the process again in the 109th Congress it comes into the new session with momentum from last year and a fresh commitment by New Mexican lawmakers to get the legislation passed this Congress.
In Vermont today, only around 60,000 acres -- about 1 percent of the state -- is permanently protected under the Wilderness Act of 1964. Moreover, it has been over 20 years since additional Wilderness was designated in the state. A proposal to double that amount, with protection of another 60,000 acres, includes some of the state's most spectacular wild areas such as Glastenbury Mountain and Lamb Brook.
Yellowstone Snowmobiles
After dueling federal court decisions left the future of snowmobiles in Yellowstone up in the air, Congress stepped in and mandated that a National Park Service recommendation be implemented, which calls for reduced numbers of less polluting machines and requires guides for all trips. While an improvement over the historic snowmobile melee, it still could lead to pollution and wildlife harassment. We believe Yellowstone would be better off without snowmobiles and have turned our attention toward working to improve a snowcoach system.
The Job of Wilderness Protection is Never Done
Once areas are designated for protection, The Wilderness Society continues to keep a close eye on them to ensure that they are managed properly. For example, management plans for the Grand Canyon and Colorado’s Roan Plateau are currently being reviewed to make sure that these areas are protected rather than over-developed.
A Hopeful Future
To make all these things, and more, happen in 2005, The Wilderness Society will rely heavily on the combined actions of the WildAlert Community. It’s a tall order, but one we expect to win with your help: Halting a barrage of threats, while realizing our own worthwhile goals.
In order to succeed, we need to be able to count on you, and other WildAlert subscribers, to take action every chance you get. Be prepared to make your voice heard in this New Year, and make a difference in support of wilderness protection.
