Six Democratic members of the US Congress have called for the secretary of the Interior to weigh in on a decision regarding a proposed natural gas development project in an environmentally sensitive area of eastern Utah.
In a letter Tuesday to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, the lawmakers, led by US Representative Maurice Hinchey of New York, called for the Bureau of Land Management to reject its preferred alternative for Gasco Energy's Uinta Basin Natural Gas Development Project, in favor of another alternative that would result in drilling about 15% fewer wells while preserving the wilderness characteristics of the remote Desolation Canyon area.
"The wild public lands of Desolation Canyon are a national treasure that belong to the American people and should be protected for generations to come," Hinchey said in a press statement. "What we are asking for is that 1,100 wells be drilled instead of 1,300. By making this modest adjustment we can preserve Desolation Canyon and the surrounding wilderness areas."
On March 16, the BLM, an agency of the Interior Department, released the final environmental impact statement for the project in an area of approximately 207,000 acres in an existing gas-producing section of Uintah and Duchesne counties, Utah. Under the BLM's preferred alternative, up to 1,298 new gas wells would be drilled from 575 well pads over a period of 15 years.
Following the close of the 30-day waiting period, the BLM is expected to issue a record of decision on the project on April 16.
The BLM's preferred alternative has come under fire from conservation groups, who claim it would destroy the wilderness characteristics of the scenic Desolation Canyon area.
In their letter, the members of Congress urged the BLM to adopt the alternative development plan listed as Alternative E in the final EIS, claiming that such a selection "would protect the Desolation Canyon proposed wilderness while still allowing significant natural gas development."
Beverly Gorny, a spokeswoman for the BLM Utah state office, declined to comment on the lawmakers' letter, saying the bureau does not comment on incoming correspondence.
"We will be timely responding to the members of Congress," she added.
In addition to Hinchey, the other signatories to the letter were representatives Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Jim Moran of Virginia, Rush Holt of New Jersey and Diana DeGette of Colorado.
