November 17, 2008

BLM EXTENDS BIGHORN RMP COMMENT PERIOD
Speak Out for Wildlife and Wilderness in the Bighorn Basin!

A the request of Biodiversity Conservation Alliance and other conservation organizations, the BLM has granted an 7 day extension for the public to submit their comments on the Bighorn Basin Regional Management Plan. The new deadline is November 24th, 2008.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has just begun a planning process for the Bighorn Basin, which will lead to a revision of the land use plans for both the Cody and Worland Field Offices. These plans will guide all management decisions and actions for public lands and split-estate minerals managed by the BLM and will have a lasting impact on how our public lands will be managed far into the future.

During the RMP process the BLM makes decisions that affect energy development, air and water, quality, public health, grazing, protection of fish and wildlife, and wilderness designation. A rapid increase in oil and gas drilling and bentonite mining threaten the Basin's sage grouse population, special places, and intact ecosystems.

Drilling must be done right. We don't want the Bighorn Basin turned into an industrial wasteland like the Jonah Field. Nor do we want the Basin to the next Pinedale.

Mail your comments by November 24th!

Dear BLM Planners,

The Bighhorn Basin is rich in cultural and historical resources, and outstanding desert recreation opportunities. It is also home to the only sage grouse population in the state that is currently expanding, and crucial big game winter ranges for elk, bighorn sheep, mule deer and pronghorn, including some used by the Yellowstone herds. I urge you to develop a revised RMP that will:

* Require phased leasing and development so that only a minority of the Basin can be committed to oil and gas drilling at any one time;
* Give notice when federal minerals are leased and require landowner approval of drilling and make public compositions of all drilling and frac'ing fluids used;
* Mandate minimum-footprint directional drilling for all projects to reduce impacts;
* Require "No Surface Occupancy" for oil and gas development within 3 miles of sage grouse leks and in crucial big game winter ranges and calving sites;
* Protect potential wilderness such as McCullough Peaks and Bobcat Draw;
* Minimize CBM impacts, require waste-water to be re-injected to protect aquifers; and
* Manage livestock grazing to ecologically sustainable levels.

In addition, we'd like the BLM to extend the comment period to allow the public sufficient time to have meaningful input into the process. Public participation and comments are an integral and critical part of the RMP process. Although the BLM is hosting 6 public scoping meetings (see below), the deadline for the public to submit comments is November 17, 2008, only 3 days after the last public meeting. Three days does not give the public time to digest the many and complex issues of the Bighorn Basin and produce the detailed and thoughtful comments this important process requires. When you send your comments, please add a section using the language "Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. Section 555(e), I petition the BLM to extend the comment period for the Bighorn Basin RMP scoping process" and list your reasons.

Send your comments to:
Eddie Bateson, Manager
Wind/River Bighorn Basin District
P.O. Box 119
Worland, WY 82401

For more information, contact Carmi McLean at carmi@voiceforthewild.org

Thanks for speaking out for the Bighorn Basin!