Is A Public-Private Wyoming Range Agreement the Future of Conservation Deals?

An agreement struck between private citizens and a Texas-based oil and gas company looking to drill on public land in Wyoming may become a model for other environmentally sensitive areas facing increased drilling across the Rocky Mountain West. While many pieces remain undecided in the proposal to develop 136 wells in the Wyoming Range west of Pinedale, Wyoming, it appears similar agreements reached between private parties—and outside of the public process for approving oil and gas drilling— are becoming more common. These deals, often struck between conservation groups and industry, do not replace the federally mandated public review process, which requires companies interested in drilling on public land to submit a plan to federal agencies like the U.S. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management. That plan is then evaluated and tweaked through a series of studies, reports and public comments to fit the land and wildlife, as well as users such as wildlife advocates, hunters, ranchers or recreationists. Some see it as sleeping with the enemy, but some environmental organizations are finding ways for more people to get what they want by negotiating with companies directly, making outside deals that run parallel to the stipulations set by federal agencies...more