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[Updated July 24, 2018] We need your help to protect the heart of Wyoming’s wild public lands — the Red Desert! In Wyoming’s most recent state lands oil and gas lease sale, 21 parcels located in the fragile, beautiful Red Desert received bids, and are now under threat of development. The final decision to move forward with these lease purchases will be made by the State Board of Land Commissioners — comprised of Wyoming’s top elected officials, including Governor Matt Mead — on August 9. If oil and gas development is allowed on these 21 parcels, countless invaluable resources will be harmed, including crucial winter habitat for big game, historic pioneer trails, stunning volcanic rock formations, North America’s largest sand dune complex and dozens of other historic, cultural and natural resources.
The state oil and gas lease parcels that dot the Red Desert map, if authorized, would allow for industrial development that could forever harm the entire landscape at an incalculable cost to Wyoming’s wildlife, cultural heritage and outdoor recreation economies. The July state lease sale precedes two federal oil and gas lease sales in September and December that also include parcels in sensitive areas, such as the Red Desert-to-Hoback big game migration corridor. This means the state, if it moves forward with authorization, will only multiply the threat posed by the Trump administration’s “energy dominance” mandate for public landscapes in Wyoming.
“The leasing of these stranded state land parcels for oil and gas development is a scenario for future management conflicts,” Wyoming Outdoor Council Executive Director Lisa McGee stated in a letter to Gov. Matt Mead. “This is because some of these areas are so fragile, pristine or so easily disrupted, that a single well could significantly erode the integrity of the landscape or resource. Many of the state land parcels have no road or pipeline access — creating threats of future impacts where none exist today.”
A broad coalition of stakeholders, including Native American communities and sportsmen, is asking the Wyoming State Board of Land Commissioners to withdraw the 21 lease parcels and allow for a more measured approach to leasing in the Red Desert.
Stakeholders are mindful that Wyoming’s constitution prioritizes uses of state lands to generate revenue for Wyoming schools. The mandate can be better met without auctioning these mineral lease parcels, and instead working to exchange them for BLM parcels more suited to industrial development.
Read the Wyoming Outdoor Council’s June 2018 letter to Gov. Matt Mead.
Review our Fact Sheet for talking points and more background about the Red Desert and current leasing threats.
Join us in asking the Office of State Lands and Investments and the Wyoming State Board of Land Commissioners to withdraw the 21 state oil and gas lease parcels for sale in Wyoming’s Red Desert this month. Call or write an email, and let them know your connection to these special Wyoming places, and why you want to protect them for future generations.
To submit a comment to all five commissioners at once, go to our comment portal. Or you can submit comments to the individual commissioners:
Bridget Hill, Director, Office of State Lands and Investments
307.777.6629
bridget.hill1@wyo.gov
Matt Mead, Wyoming Governor
307.777.7434
Fill out email form
Edward Buchanan, Secretary of State
307.777.7378
SecOfState@wyo.gov
Cynthia Cloud, State Auditor
307.777.7831
SAOAdmin@wyo.gov
Mark Gordon, State Treasurer
307.777.7408
treasurer@wyo.gov
Jillian Balow, Superintendent of Public Instruction
307.777.7675
superintendent@wyo.gov
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This map (click to enlarge) depicts the coverage of the state oil and gas lease sale parcels we’re asking to be withdrawn.
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