Nightline Daily E-Mail
Monday, July 19, 2004


TONIGHT'S FOCUS: A battle is brewing in the West. At stake is land that is
stunningly beautiful and ecologically sensitive, land that has been compared
to the Serengeti for its spectacular array of wildlife, but also to Saudi
Arabia because of the enormous amount of natural gas beneath it. Stepped up
leasing of land for oil and gas development by the Bush Administration has
brought a bonanza of profits to Rocky Mountain states like Wyoming. But the
energy boom has also brought together some unusual alliances who vehemently
oppose development.

The Bush Administration has expedited permits for leasing land to oil and
gas developers along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains -- in Wyoming,
Montana, eastern Utah, western Colorado and northern New Mexico. This
area -- most of which is owned by the federal government -- is rich in
natural gas, and new technology has made harvesting that gas possible.
Growing demand for a clean, domesticallly produced energy source has pushed
up prices, setting off a drilling bonanza. That's been good for some, but as
Nightline discovered, it's also intensely angered ranchers, sportsmen and
environmentalists who worry about the effects on the wildlife and their way
of life. Nightline looks at the intensive natural gas development
surrounding the tiny town of Pinedale, Wyoming, nestled in the Upper Green
River Valley. The Valley is also a major migration corridor for mule deer
and pronghorn antelope, who pass through on their long migration from the
Grand Tetons to the high desert. The region is famous for its hunting and
fishing bounty, and is home to a growing recreational and tourist industry
as well as traditional livestock ranching.

The Bureau of Land Management, part of the Department of Interior, is
responsible for mediating the multiple uses of this public land. Critics
charge that under the Bush Administration, energy development, in the form
of thousands of new wells, has been expedited at the expense of
environmental considerations. Drilling brings commerce, but with it networks
of roads and truck traffic to serve the gasfields. Ranchers, hunters and
fishermen have joined with environmentalists to try to slow down the pace of
drilling.

Judy Muller will examine the controversy tonight and Chris Bury will talk
with Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton.

We hope you'll join us.

Jay LaMonica and the Nightline Staff
Nightline Offices
ABC News Washington Bureau

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