By Lisa Rutherford
Your action is needed by Feb. 10 to stop the threat to southwest Utah’s quality of life posed by oil and gas development in Washington County near Zion National Park.
The Bureau of Land Management has included three Washington County tracts of land in the planned June 2017 oil and gas development lease sale. Two of the tracts are about two miles north of the town of Virgin along the Kolob Terrace Road, very near North Creek — a high-quality drinking water stream — and near to the Zion National Park boundary. Another tract straddles Interstate 15 just north of the Toquerville exit above the Ash Creek drainage and the Toquer Reservoir planned by our Water Conservancy District. These tracts are critical watershed areas for our future water supply. The Kolob Terrace sites above Virgin are also are part of the greater Zion National Park recreational area. Click here to see a map showing the three tracts.
This is a serious threat. Every major oil or gas development starts with the lease of a few tracts.
To prevent the sale of these leases, your written comments to the BLM are needed by Feb. 10. The BLM has discretion in this decision. If the BLM receives substantial negative public comment that the Environmental Assessment is deficient, it is very possible that these three tracts will be withdrawn from the sale. Every comment is very important in this effort to protect Washington county.
Conserve Southwest Utah has made it easy for you to make your voice heard via email, fax or US mail.
Use this link to download the Conserve Southwest Utah letter to the BLM stating our detailed objections to the Washington County leases.
You can use this letter to create your own version. We suggest that at a minimum you add a short introductory paragraph expressing your own opinions about the leases. If you wish, please adjust the rest of the letter to reflect your own detailed objections to the leases. However, this is not necessary. Change the signature block to include your own name and residence address.
The easiest way is to submit your letter by email to utsgmail@blm.gov. Put in the subject line, “June 2017 oil and gas development lease sale.” Alternatively, you can fax your letter to (435) 688-3252, or mail it to Bureau of Land Management, St. George Field Office, Attn: Dave Corry, 345 East Riverside Drive, St. George, Utah 84790. Your emailed or faxed letter must be sent before 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 10. If sent by U.S. mail, it must be postmarked no later than Feb. 10.
Conserve Southwest Utah is adamantly opposed to putting these tracts up for auction. In a nutshell, we believe that Washington County water, air and natural environment will be seriously harmed by oil and gas development in these three tracts. In our view the BLM has dramatically understated the negative economic and environmental impact of oil and gas development in Washington county.
For the BLM’s Environmental Assessment and related newspaper articles, click here.
