BLM moves Front to back burner

Missoulian Editorial
Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2004

Summary: Protecting area of such importance to Montanans may ultimately lead to more energy.

With stunning suddenness, the federal Bureau of Land Management over the weekend decided to abandon consideration of oil and gas development along portions of Montana's Rocky Mountain Front. Good! The decision is as much a victory for common sense as it is for so many Montanans who've rallied time and again to defend from development one of America's most exceptional natural areas.

BLM said it's "indefinitely stopping work" on an environmental impact statement that had been started to evaluate drilling and possible gas or oil production in the Blackleaf area. There's been a moratorium on petroleum leasing along the front since 1997, but a Canadian company had been seeking permits to drill in areas previously leased. As BLM explained in a written statement, "The announcement means the area will not be developed in the foreseeable future."

The decision comes in the wake of an overwhelming show of public opposition to drilling the Front. More than 99 percent of 49,000 public comments submitted as part of the early work on the environmental impact statement expressed opposition to development. A statement Tuesday from Assistant Secretary of the Interior Rebecca Watson suggests opposition from people who hunt and fish played an especially crucial role in the decision. "President Bush has met with hunters and anglers and told them there are some places that should not be developed in order to protect wildlife," Watson said. "The Rocky Mountain Front is important for wildlife and is of great interest to the hunting community. "We need to step back and look at the issue on a landscape level to be sure we conserve our resources in a balanced way."

That broader look could begin in 2007. In the meantime, BLM is suggesting that swapping leases along the front for valuable drilling rights elsewhere, or a buyout of leases along the Front, deserve a closer look. Amen to that.

The nation still needs more energy, of course. That's another reason to put potential development of the Front on hold. Counter-intuitive as it may seem, this decision seems likely to heat more homes and fuel more cars than continuing with attempts to punch wells along the Front. That's because there's only so much time and money available to study, permit, explore and develop energy resources. With plenty of other areas of public lands rated to have higher energy-producing potential than the Front, and virtually no other place where energy production is so passionately and widely opposed, it's just common sense to focus on areas more likely to yield results. BLM already says it intends to divert funding for the Blackleaf study to another area. It makes sense to concentrate on areas where development is at least plausible, rather than an area where - whether through legislation or lawsuits - development seems certain to be blocked.

In addition to its immeasurable importance to wildlife, the Front's wildness and beauty epitomizes so much of what Montanans cherish about their "last best place." A desire to ensure such places endure for the benefit of future generations also is part of who we are as Montanans. Like so many others who've taken a hard look at the Front and considered the implications of developing it, the BLM has decided - for now, anyway - there are better ways to meet our energy needs.

Copyright © 2004 Missoulian