Drilling Near Jackson Hole Threatens Grand Teton National Park. Shopping.

Make your voice heard during the public comment period. Deadline is March 11, 2011.

"What's at Stake:

The Upper Hoback Basin in the rugged Wyoming Range of western is a mere 50 miles away from Grand Teton National Park and prevailing winds could easily impact the park’s pure air quality, which receives the Environmental Protection Agency’s most protective designation. This lease site contains the pristine headwaters of the Wild and Scenic Hoback River, whose waters could be contaminated by the controversial drilling practice known as “fracking.”

The Wyoming Range contains critical habitat and is a vital crossroads for migrating wildlife in the Yellowstone ecosystem.  It is home to moose, deer, elk, pronghorn, native trout and the elusive Canada lynx. This remote corner of the Bridger-Teton is now threatened by Plains Exploration & Production Company’s (PXP) proposal to site a full-field natural gas field. PXP wants to drill 136 wells on 17 well pads and build 30 miles of industrial roads, man-camps, compressor stations, pipelines, waste treatment plants and more.

Wasn’t the intent of the Wyoming Range Legacy Act of 2009 to protect this part of the forest from oil and gas development?

The Legacy Act prohibits future leasing, but does not affect the pre-existing leases held by PXP. We know from our Wyoming experience that that once a place becomes an industrial gas field, other uses are diminished or vanish altogether. Unfortunately, the Forest Service cannot easily deny development once leases have been issued. Because PXP has valid leases, the best way to protect the Hoback is to convince the company to agree to donate or sell these leases. And because all of PXP’s leases are within the protected boundary of the Wyoming Range Legacy Act, once retired, the area can never be leased again. This is not without precedent. Oil and gas companies have sold or donated hundreds of thousands of acres in oil and gas leases to protect forest lands in Montana, and Wyoming deserves this same win-win solution.

Buy-out or not, we still need public comments!"

Click Here to Send Your Comments!

"The Forest Service cannot force PXP to accept a buy-out. So in case a deal cannot be reached, we must tell the Forest Service to do its job right. The wildlife, waters, air quality and recreational uses of the Upper Hoback and nearby Grand Teton National Park must be protected if this project moves forward. The Bridger-Teton National Forest is soliciting your feedback on its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) about PXP’s plan. Make your voice heard during the public comment period. Deadline is March 11, 2011."

More at: http://npca.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=GrandTetonWhatsatStake

 

______________________

 

Today:  Jay and his mother have gone to her sister's funeral, and Ray is coping with the funeral of his father-in-law.

I am still on top of the grass, not under it, today.

 

When we were at Mindi's ranch the other day, she happened to mention a discount building supply outlet out on SH 105 East of Conroe.   I found their ad on craigslist, and emailed to ask if they had any corrugated plastic roofing.  They replied and said yes, they had white 36" wide R-panel at $8.00 a sheet.

Now, R-panel is a lot better quality than the regular 24" wide corrugated fiberglass roofing that I had bought Tuesday at over $14 a sheet!   So I thought I would drive over there and look see.  I loaded up the corrugated fiberglass, just in case I needed to return it to Lowe's.

When I arrived, the discount building supply place was pretty busy, their Craigslist ad was paying off.   They had acres of windows, which is what they had advertized.  As they didn't have a helper available to show me where the R-panel was, I found it, with the yard man's directions.  It was a long walk to the back of their yard and back.  He still didn't have anyone to help me, but said I would drive over there, and I offered to load it myself.  

That was fine and dandy, it is not heavy, but it had some dew on it, so when I picked it up, dew ran onto the front of my jeans, and it looked like I had pee'd my pants!  That was embarrassing. 

 

As the R-panel is 12" wider than the fiberglass, I needed less sheets, so the 15 mile round trip was not in vain, as it saved me nearly $100.  Also, in their store they had some 3" deck screws, which I have been needing, for only $5 a 1 lb. box.  I try to get them for $7.00 a box, but our store has been out of them.  Another bargain was a special caulk that we usually pay $4.88, was only $2.00. 

A quick trip to Lowes to return the fiberglass roofing and then Krogers to get a few groceries, as I was out of bananas.

Now I am home, clothes changed, tired, fed, and ready to stay in for the rest of the day.