Commentary: Energy Development Must Protect Hunting and Fishing

By KEVIN REILLY

New Mexico’s public land is sacred to those of us who live and recreate here. Unfortunately, there is an ever increasing push to cover every last piece of public ground with a drilling pad at the expense of fish, wildlife and those of us who live here.

As an angler and long-time New Mexican, I realize that oil and gas development is important to our economy and will continue to be for many years. As New Mexicans though, we have to find ways to protect our public lands from irresponsible drilling and overdevelopment. The vast majority of the state’s public land is already leased for oil and gas development or is available for lease.

Our state economy benefits heavily from tourism dollars, and I can assure you no one is flying into New Mexico to see stunning vistas of graded drilling pads and polluted water. Those tourism dollars will continue flowing into New Mexico long after the oil and gas industry is gone, as long as we continue to protect our public resources.

I know that oil and gas companies must watch their bottom line. Making a profit is one thing — pushing the cost of doing business onto the public is something altogether different. Congress should not allow the oil and gas industry to dump its cost of doing business onto us at the expense of our public lands.

Recently, the U.S. House passed an energy bill that includes some modest, common-sense reforms to the 2005 Energy Policy Act. This legislation will require thorough reclamation of oil and gas development on public lands. It also requires companies to replace water resources that are lost or diminished during the drilling process. Finally, it requires the Bureau of Land Management to update its Best Management Practices to protect wildlife habitat in areas where drilling occurs. Certainly, with modest reforms such as these, oil and gas developers can continue to make substantial profits, while allowing the rest of us to remain optimistic about the future of our public lands.

In the coming weeks, the Senate will be considering these same reforms. It’s my hope that New Mexico’s senators will take into account the best interests of those of us who cherish public lands and that they’ll strike a reasonable balance between oil and gas development and our hunting and fishing heritage.

It is my strong belief that the Senate should endorse the House’s proposals on oil and gas development on public lands. In addition, Republican Sen. Pete Domenici and Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman and their colleagues should make additional reforms. The oil and gas industry is the only industry exempted from the Clean Water Act in the construction of their operations.

This poses a serious threat to streams in New Mexico and across the West. Additionally, the 2005 act allows federal agencies to overlook crucial wildlife habitat under “categorical exclusions.”

Essentially, agencies can permit projects under these exclusions with no input from sportsmen or fish and wildlife agencies. Congress must repeal this provision to allow sportsmen the right to be heard on those areas most important to hunters and anglers.

Contact Domenici and Bingaman and ask them to support the house bill provisions to protect our public land. Let them know that, when it comes to oil and gas development on public land, it’s time for a change.

Kevin Reilly is the New Mexico representative to Trout Unlimited’s National Leadership Council. He lives in Santa Fe.

(c) 2007 The Santa Fe New Mexican. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.