State wildlife officials protest Beaverhead County mineral leases

The Billings Gazette has an interesting story on mineral leases that BLM intends to auction in Montana despite state wildlife officials protesting the move.  Gas developement could jeopordize quite a bit of habitat and “The development could undercut 100 years worth of conservation efforts across the state.” says T.O. Smith, fish and wildlife planner for FWP.  Read the rest of the Billings Gazette story.


Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

  1. kt Avatar
    kt

    Well, this is just perfectly in keeping with Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne’s record and worldview in Idaho.

    I don’t know a lot about Oil and Gas leasing. Could, say Ted Turner, bid on the leases, and just hold them, andi n that way keep Energy Companies from getting them?
    Of course, I don’t view that as any long-term fix, but as a quick stop-gap measure until Bush is booted from office, and laws that allow extractive interests to run roughshod over public land are changed.

    There is what appears to a whole lot of speculation on these OG leases going on in Nevada now, with BLM auctioning them off right and left. I am wondering if some of it may have to do with scamming investors into thinking you are a Big Energy Mover and Shaker, getting their investments, smashing some sagebrush (and sage grouse nesting cover) and collapsing some pygmy rabbit burrows by running Seismic Thumper Trucks crosscountry, then folding and moving on? Does anyone know just what is going on – in these more marginal OG Areas?

Subscribe to get new posts right in your Inbox

Brian Ertz
×