How many times are we going to trot out that "surface disturbance limited to one percent of the total area" absurdity? That bald faced underhanded attempt to decieve? How many more journalists are going to parrot it without checking it out?

Add up all the surfaces of all the roads, the well pads, etc, and put them together, and they might equal one percent of the land area. But they are not all in one place are they? They are as Wyoming biologist Bill Rudd once said, like a spiderweb-crush it, roll it into a ball, it's area is insignificant, but stretch it out, as it really is and it dominates and controls its whole area. Development will dominate and ruin the Roan Plateau. that's what the BLM and forest service should say. "We're wrecking it, for natural gas." That I could respect.

The Roan Plateau is off limits to drilling. That's what the Colorado residents want. Remember when the government was "going to listen to the locals"? As long as the locals wanted to give the public lands to industry, they listened. But God forbid any local would like to keep some wilderness to hunt and fish in. Then their comments don't matter. It's not a compromise if one side always loses. There's no compromise being made here-what, that industry agrees not to just destroy the whole place, only part of it? Bull. anybody noticed your natural gas bills going down as a result of all the compromises we've made so far? How about the fuel bills for your truck? How much longer is this going to continue? How many more journalists are going to parrot lines from the BLM when it is painfully obvious to anybody who digs a little deeper that those lines are not true? This energy push into places like the Roan is negative-- however you want to parse it--80 percent negative, 90 percent negative, whatever. It's absurd to try and be totally objective about it. There are some things that are simply wrong.
We all know that, in our hearts if not in our heads.

Hal

Hal, excellent comments. We are looking at peak energy in the next 10 years in terms of world oil and North American natural gas. No one wants to plan or confront this problem--just party on for a few more years and leave destruction in their wake. I'm surprised that the BLM has not drawn up plans for using the thermal features of Yellowstone for power production.

You guys are aiming at the wrong target. Get follks to use less fuel, stay home more. As long as demand outstrips supply the problem will continue. Everytime and evironmental groups sets up a concert to help the environment, they are adding to the problem, every time Gore or others fly or drive somewhere to talk about the evils of drilling, guess what they are using fuel and causing drilling. If you truly want to impact drilling address the use of fuel by enviros as well as ordinary folks. Just becaue they can afford it, doesn't change their use, and their contribution to the problem.