Emma Marsing, [email protected]
WYOMING — The Draft Resource Management Plan/Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rock Springs Field Office (RSFO), has been officially released and is now open for public comments. With that in mind, many local and state government officials have spoke up on their thoughts regarding this proposal.
U.S. Senator John Barrasso: In response to the proposed draft, U.S. Senator John Barrasso told WyoRadio’s Tom Ellis, “This is a very heavy-handed move by Washington and the Bureau of Land Management, who are basically Wyoming’s landlords. They own half of the land in this state in terms of control and management and how’s it used, and they want to take it out of even multiple use.”
Barrasso, appearing with Ellis on the August 27 “Insights” radio program, added, “You know it’s for the enjoyment, recreation of people. We use it for livestock, for grazing, for oil, for gas development, for economic development, recreation, for tourism, all of those things, and the Bureau of Land Management said no. They want to shut a lot of public use land out and right now they’ve stated that over 1.8 million acres of land in Wyoming, the part that is managed by the Rock Springs Field Office under the Bureau of Land Management, would be given special designation as something called Area of Critical Environmental Concern.”
Barrasso continued by saying, “These guys in Washington are continuing to attack us in Wyoming and our way of life. This is going to hit our energy development, our exploration of energy money that would come into the state. Money that would come into the communities – jobs in the communities.”
“There is still an opportunity for people’s voices to be heard; there’s going to be a public comment period. I just think we need to force the BLM to turn this outrageous proposal around, to try to strike a balanced approach that puts Wyoming in charge and in the driver’s seat and not Washington.”
Governor Mark Gordon: In a press release sent earlier last month, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon stated, “Upon first glance, I am extremely disappointed, yet not surprised, by the redirection this administration is taking with this draft. Over a decade’s worth of work from Wyoming’s cooperating agencies, local stakeholders, and impacted industries seems to have fallen on the deaf ears of the federal BLM and its imperious agenda.”
“I know I am not alone in my desire to review this draft with a fine-tooth comb. I will protect the interests of the State of Wyoming and make sure they pay attention to the good work being done at the state and local level as we move ahead.”
State Senator John Kolb: During last Tuesday’s Rock Springs City Council Meeting, Wyoming State Senator Kolb stated, “That is a devastatingly bad choice for Wyoming, certainly for us here. It will, in fact, change our way of life. It will destroy our revenue, so anybody who wants some sort of services can probably forget that because we’re not going to have any revenue if we lose our minerals extraction revenue, combined with our way of life.”
During last Tuesday’s Rock Springs City Council Meeting, Wyoming State Senator Kolb stated, “That is a devastatingly bad choice for Wyoming, certainly for us here. It will, in fact, change our way of life. It will destroy our revenue, so anybody who wants some sort of services can probably forget that because we’re not going to have any revenue if we lose our minerals extraction revenue, combined with our way of life.”
Kolb, who represents District 12, also stated, “I think it’s just the death blow to Wyoming to have that RMP move forward because it is going to be a template for the future. I’m in favor of expanding state resources on suits against the federal government to stop this, to slow this down, to tie it up in courts. I think we have to have, you know, people agreeing with that or local leaders, but I see it as a devastating blow to our economy and way of life.”
Kolb, who currently sits on the Select Federal Natural Resource Committee, also detailed how important it is for the people to show up and let their voices be heard.
Rock Springs City Council: Rock Springs Mayor Max Mickelson has stated, “I think it is critical that everybody use their voice to tell them that is not what we want as a community or as a society.”
Councilman Tim Robinson stated, “I don’t hunt, I don’t have a side-by-side, but I walk my dogs in the desert all the time, and when I’m out there. I see a lot of side-by-sides. I see people, you know, recreating and doing the things that they love to do, and I think this is one of those cases where if enough people know that those opportunities are being limited, then they’ll definitely show up at the meeting. By all means, be there.”
Public Meeting Information
The Bureau of Land Management Rock Springs Field Office will be holding a public meeting on September 27, 2023, at their office located at 280 US-191, Rock Springs, Wyoming. This meeting will take place from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
