BLUERIBBON COALITION PARTNER ALERT!
UTAH - IMPORTANT - Meeting in Price Tomorrow - October 19
Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,
BRC just received an urgent message from Mike Swenson, Executive Director of the Utah Shared Access Alliance (USA-ALL http://www.usa-all.com ), letting us know about the Carbon County Commissioners' meeting being held tomorrow, October 19, 2011. Sorry for the short notice, but this is extremely important.
We've pasted USA-ALL's email below. Please take a minute to read the alert, take action and then pass it along to friends, family and riding buddies.
Thanks,
Ric Foster
Public Lands Department Manager
BlueRibbon Coalition
208-237-1008 ext 107
Important Meeting in Price, UT. Tomorrow Wed. Oct. 19
October 18, 2011
Dear Ric,
We wanted to notify you of a very important meeting in Price tomorrow evening. All the meeting details will be below. This County Commission meeting will be to discuss whether gates on a few public roads should or should not be locked. If they are to be locked; who should do it? Who should have the keys? The controversy is surrounding a welcomed gas development project by the Bill Barret Corp. (BBC) in the West Taveputs area in Nine Mile Canyon. The problem is SUWA threatened to tie the federally required environmental assessment of the project up in court for the next decade if all parties didn't comply with their demands. The County, BBC, and even the BLM were put in a very difficult, no win situation. The commissioners, true to their word, said they would not lock the gates without first holding a public meeting and soliciting comment from the public.
Some of the concerns are if the County does not lock the gates will the BLM? The County claims these roads. So who owns the road? Can the BLM lock the gates? If BLM locks the gates what will the County do? How will the action or inaction affect the much needed project that is now in process? If the County locks the gates, how long will they remain locked? Does the County even have the right to lock them for such a project and if so for how long? These and other questions remain to be answered.
Whether you live in Carbon County or not the outcome of this meeting will very likely affect you. The economic boost to the region is significant as well as is the tax revenue that it will generate for all of us. Additionally concerning is the possibility that the process to approve this project could be duplicated on a project near you. Is that something you would like? Some have claimed this is a great new way for parties to come to the table and compromise and that it is the new way projects can be approved. It feels more like environmental extortion to us. We would bet all parties involved, except for SUWA, feel similarly.
USA-ALL has been carefully involved with this issue for over a year now. We support the need to have such valuable economic projects in rural Utah. We, however, do not support the permanent closing of any roads. We are all in favor of working things out and compromising to a point, but not when that compromise has come as a result of having a known enemy point a loaded gun to our head.
Meeting Details
Date: Wednesday October 19, 2011
Time: 6:00 PM, But you better be there early if you want a seat. Be there at least by 5:30 PM
Location: Carbon County Building, 120 E Main St. Price, Utah
Room: Carbon County Commission Chambers
Please attend this meeting and let your opinion be heard. Remember to be professional and respectful. We have said it before and we'll say it again. Neither Carbon County NOR BBC is the enemies here. They are trying to balance things and do their best. The problem is an over regulated federal planning process and abusive, litigious, wealthy, environmental corporations (not sweet little grass-roots organizations) who have now began acting more like organized crime rings than peaceful earth worshippers.
Show-up to this meeting, get involved with us, and be active...let's take the power back.
Sincerely,
Michael Swenson
Utah Shared Access Alliance
UTAH - IMPORTANT - Meeting in Price Tomorrow - October 19
Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,
BRC just received an urgent message from Mike Swenson, Executive Director of the Utah Shared Access Alliance (USA-ALL http://www.usa-all.com ), letting us know about the Carbon County Commissioners' meeting being held tomorrow, October 19, 2011. Sorry for the short notice, but this is extremely important.
We've pasted USA-ALL's email below. Please take a minute to read the alert, take action and then pass it along to friends, family and riding buddies.
Thanks,
Ric Foster
Public Lands Department Manager
BlueRibbon Coalition
208-237-1008 ext 107
Important Meeting in Price, UT. Tomorrow Wed. Oct. 19
October 18, 2011
Dear Ric,
We wanted to notify you of a very important meeting in Price tomorrow evening. All the meeting details will be below. This County Commission meeting will be to discuss whether gates on a few public roads should or should not be locked. If they are to be locked; who should do it? Who should have the keys? The controversy is surrounding a welcomed gas development project by the Bill Barret Corp. (BBC) in the West Taveputs area in Nine Mile Canyon. The problem is SUWA threatened to tie the federally required environmental assessment of the project up in court for the next decade if all parties didn't comply with their demands. The County, BBC, and even the BLM were put in a very difficult, no win situation. The commissioners, true to their word, said they would not lock the gates without first holding a public meeting and soliciting comment from the public.
Some of the concerns are if the County does not lock the gates will the BLM? The County claims these roads. So who owns the road? Can the BLM lock the gates? If BLM locks the gates what will the County do? How will the action or inaction affect the much needed project that is now in process? If the County locks the gates, how long will they remain locked? Does the County even have the right to lock them for such a project and if so for how long? These and other questions remain to be answered.
Whether you live in Carbon County or not the outcome of this meeting will very likely affect you. The economic boost to the region is significant as well as is the tax revenue that it will generate for all of us. Additionally concerning is the possibility that the process to approve this project could be duplicated on a project near you. Is that something you would like? Some have claimed this is a great new way for parties to come to the table and compromise and that it is the new way projects can be approved. It feels more like environmental extortion to us. We would bet all parties involved, except for SUWA, feel similarly.
USA-ALL has been carefully involved with this issue for over a year now. We support the need to have such valuable economic projects in rural Utah. We, however, do not support the permanent closing of any roads. We are all in favor of working things out and compromising to a point, but not when that compromise has come as a result of having a known enemy point a loaded gun to our head.
Meeting Details
Date: Wednesday October 19, 2011
Time: 6:00 PM, But you better be there early if you want a seat. Be there at least by 5:30 PM
Location: Carbon County Building, 120 E Main St. Price, Utah
Room: Carbon County Commission Chambers
Please attend this meeting and let your opinion be heard. Remember to be professional and respectful. We have said it before and we'll say it again. Neither Carbon County NOR BBC is the enemies here. They are trying to balance things and do their best. The problem is an over regulated federal planning process and abusive, litigious, wealthy, environmental corporations (not sweet little grass-roots organizations) who have now began acting more like organized crime rings than peaceful earth worshippers.
Show-up to this meeting, get involved with us, and be active...let's take the power back.
Sincerely,
Michael Swenson
Utah Shared Access Alliance
