WildEarth Guardians

Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Making the Rules - exclude grazing permits & oil and gas exploration from NEPA review

Enviros decry BLM proposal to categorically exclude grazing permits & oil and gas exploration from NEPA review - Otero Mesa could be impacted by proposed BLM changes
Contact: Nathan Dinsdale Santa Fe Reporter

The March 8th edition of the Santa Fe Reporter carries an article about a proposed BLM rule to categorically exclude grazing permits & oil and gas exploration from NEPA review, and includes some quotes & remarks from WildEarth Guardians conservation director Nicole Rosmarino:

"Regular citizens would have to be very attentive to be able to catch this kind of back-door undercutting of the law," Rosmarino says. "NEPA is not just about providing conservationists or businesses an opportunity to say something about what federal agencies are doing. It’s about providing regular citizens that opportunity as well."

"It really strikes me as an abuse of the categorical exclusion provision," Rosmarino says. "It was intended for things like putting up outhouses in developed campgrounds or painting buildings. It wasn’t intended for the kind of harm that things like geophysical exploration can cause."

Read the complete article at the Santa Fe Reporter website..

Go here for comments re the BLM Rule from Natural Resources Defense Council, National Wildlife Federation, Earthjustice, and Western Watersheds Project.

For more information, contact Dr. Nicole Rosmarino, WildEarth Guardians conservation director.