The Wilderness
Protect the West from hasty oil shale development!
As the Bush presidency winds down, the Bureau of Land Management is working harder than ever to grease the skids so big oil companies can commercially develop more than two million acres of oil shale and tar sands in the West, no matter the cost to our wild lands and local communities.
Well over two million acres in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming are at risk for oil shale and tar sands development. Many of these areas are treasured wilderness-quality landscapes, such as western Colorado's spectacular Roan Plateau and the San Rafael Swell in southeastern Utah, renowned for its spiraling sandstone cliffs and rugged solitude.
Tell the agency these special places should be protected from the ravages of such destructive energy development - not targeted for it.
Commercial oil shale and tar sands development relies on unproven, environmentally destructive, and economically dubious technologies that are decades away from commercial readiness. Oil shale developers don't even know if the technology works - so what's the rush?
Help us tell BLM that we don't want these destructive and dirty technologies scarring our landscapes. Click here to take quick, effective action.
Bush Proposal Threatens Utah Wildlife & Wilderness
If President Bush has his way, some of the most spectacular areas in Utah will be irreversibly degraded by oil rigs and off-road vehicles (ORVs).
Eleven million acres in Utah's red rock canyon country are at immediate risk, and we have until Feb. 8 to speak out. This precious land is filled with breathtaking vistas, ancient cultural artifacts and dinosaur fossils. It is also home to imperiled desert bighorn sheep and a wide range of wildlife.
Concerned people like you can put a stop to the sprawling oil and gas development and ORV use. There is no time to waste.
Your comment today is so important. Unless the public speaks out now, President Bush's land management team will forge ahead aggressively, with little thought to the permanent impact on a fragile, irreplaceable ecosystem.
As the New York Times editorialized, "some of the trails would crisscross about 2.5 million acres of breathtakingly beautiful country that the Clinton administration thought worthy of permanent wilderness protection."
So many iconic national treasures are at stake:
In Vernal, northeastern Utah, ancient cultural artifacts and dinosaur fossils mingle with a range of wildlife and recreational opportunities. Nine Mile Canyon, in the San Rafael swell, offers hiking, serenity and rock carvings over 1,000 years old. In the Moab region, you'll find spectacular overlooks into nearby Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. The damage caused by irresponsible exploration and resource exploitation would be irreversible. Once an area is riddled with roads, it will never be designated as Wilderness. We are working with members of Congress to permanently protect these areas as part of America's Red Rock Wilderness Act, but in the meantime, we need you to help us amplify our campaign.
Go here now to tell BLM Director James Caswell to stop the assault on public Utah land immediately.
Once you have sent your message, you can help us drum up support for protecting Utah's Red Rock Wilderness by spreading the word to your friends and family, encouraging them to also send a message.
The more people like you and me who take action today, the more wild places we can protect.