Oil and gas leases on Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front pulled from auction. AP
A tremendous effort has been made by conservationists, the state, even oil companies to keep drilling off of Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front. So it only makes sense for the Montana Lands Department not to auction the small acreage of state land, especially because it is in very sensitive wildlife country.
Unfortunately, they only deferred the plan to auction.
Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He has been a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and also its President. For many years he produced Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of "Hiking Idaho." He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
I worry that every time the price in fuel rises that these kind of victory’s will become harder and harder to achieve. I just hope that congress never seeks to overturn the protections afforded to some of our lands in a thirst for oil.