OCR Text |
Show ri Vernal Express Wednesday, December 24, 2008 A9 Utah BLM director defends sale of oil, natural gas leases r r 'i 1 By Stephen Speckman Deseret News A day before a controversial oil and gas lease sale in Salt Lake City, Utah Bureau of Land Management Man-agement director Selma Sierra issued a news release Thursday to explain her agency's role in what she described as advancing the country's energy goals and economic security. Even so, the head of one Utah-based Utah-based oil and gas development company said that the sale is now hardly worth attending because so many parcels have been pulled from the table. Pioneer Oil and Gas President Don Colton said he wants more "sanity" brought to the give and take leading up to a lease sale. Colton said that at least seven companies, including his, had nominated parcels in the central Utah area, where two relatively recent oil discoveries have shown there may be 200 million barrels of crude waiting for the take. According Ac-cording to Colton's calculations, most of those ripe parcels are off limits to drilling for now. "We'll bid on others in the Price region," Colton said. His company, which prospects for oil and sells interests to large companies, tallied about $10 million annually in sales over the past two years. Colton wants clearer "ground rules" for the process prior to a lease sale. He also wants a means for getting all of the interested parties together and determin Utahns asked to check TVs ead of 09 digital switch a Two state officials are asking Utahns to use the holidays to check their elderly relatives' TVs in preparation for the February 2009 switch to an all-digital television signal. Francine A. Giani, executive director of the state Department Depart-ment of Commerce, and Palmer DePaulis, executive director of the state Department of Community Com-munity and Culture, issued a press release last week asking Utahns to be on the lookout for older television sets in relatives' homes that may still require a converter box to accept digital signals. "When you go over the river to grandma's house, make sure 10 Utah river segments up for scenic designation SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The U.S. Forest Service has picked 10 stretches of rivers in Utah's national forests for possible inclusion in-clusion in the National Wild and Scenic River System. The 108 miles of river are in five of Utah's national forests - the Ashley, Dixie, Fishlake, Uinta and Wasatch-Cache. Forest supervisors looked at 86 river segments in the state before narrowing the list to 10 for the national designation. Congress will decide which areas will be included in the national Scenic River System. Dixie National Forest has the most areas in the state with four. The Ashley and Wasatch-Cache have two each on the list. The two river segments recommended rec-ommended for designation in the Ashley National Forest are u f c Embrace The Season! Wright Orthodontics i - rr- x nj l tt ai inn rrnnrx V ing which areas of Utah should be closed to drilling. He said he wouldn't have a problem with creating a buffer zone around national parks. Many of the parcels pulled from the Dec. 19 sale don't appear to be in or even near so-called scenic areas, he said, and the BLM has "tight" rules about reclaiming areas where oil and gas drilling takes place. "When you go back out there, you never know we were there," Colton said. That includes, he said, wiping away temporary roads. "Whenyou're done, you've reclaimed everything." His characterization contrasted con-trasted sharply with that of actor Robert Redford, who on Wednesday Wednes-day characterized the lease sale as "morally criminal" and said that once the parcels the BLM is supposed to be protecting are taken, they will be lost forever to development. Redford's comments com-ments came as he endorsed a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday by several environmental groups to challenge the sale. The BLM had its own take Thursday on the industry and Friday's sale. "While we envision a future of energy independence sustained by alternative and renewable sources of energy, we also know that oil and natural gas are the essential bridge to that future energy independence," Sierra said. Sierra said facts about BLM's quarterly oil and gas lease sale her TV is ready to go digital in 2009," Giani said. "We want to make sure everyone statewide can enjoy the enhanced digital signal." Broadcasters will switch to a digital signal on Feb. 17. Individuals who receive free signals through antennas on televisions tele-visions that have analog tuners and who don't subscribe to cable, satellite or another paid service will need a converter box to receive the new digital signal. The federal government is offering two $40 converter box coupons per household. Those coupons must be requested before be-fore Dec. 31. Consumers may also choose a 13-mile section of the Green River and a 40-mile section of the Upper Uinta River, including Gilbert Creek, Center Fork and Painter's Draw. But some river advocates say the list isn't long enough. They pushed for federal protections on all 840 miles of Utah waterways that run through the state's national forests. Elected officials, residents, developers and the state objected, however, because they didn't want too many restrictions on rivers and streams. Mark Ward, an attorney for the Utah Association of Counties, Coun-ties, said the federal designations could affect ranchers' ability to divert water for crops or livestock and prohibit oil and gas development develop-ment on areas near rivers. Mark Danenhauer of the Utah r "1 i Si Am.hA,,. have been mischaracterized, "sowing confusion and misunderstanding." misun-derstanding." Her missive Thursday came after weeks of criticism from environmental and conservation conserva-tion watchdogs and the National Park Service, all of whom have expressed grave concerns over how close some of the lease parcels par-cels are to two national parks, a national monument and other culturally and environmentally sensitive areas in Utah. One of BLM's most vocal critics has been Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance attorney Stephen Bloch. "Selling these leases will have no impact whatsoever on our national security and likewise no effect on the 'price at the pump' or the price that Utahns or Americans pay to heat their homes," Bloch said Thursday in an e-mail to the Deseret News. Sierra stressed that the law prohibits the BLM from leasing areas that are federally protected as wilderness or wilderness study areas. She said the law also requires re-quires the BLM to hold quarterly lease sales, which don't automatically auto-matically allow for exploration and development of oil and gas resources. Public input and an environmental analysis required by the National Environmental Policy Act must take place before a lease is developed. Sierra said developed leases translate into jobs, infrastructure infrastruc-ture and benefits to local economies. instead to purchase a television with a digital tuner or subscribe to a cable, satellite or other paid service. Utahns are being asked to help senior citizens access converter con-verter box coupons before the Dec. 31 deadline and update their equipment if needed by Feb. 17. Converter boxes can be purchased at most local and , national electronics stores. Additional information and converter box coupons are available avail-able at the following Web sites: www.consumerprotection.utah. gov; www.comunity.utah.gov; and www.dtv2009.gov. Consumers Consum-ers may also call 888-388-2009 or 877-530-2634 (TTY). Rivers Council said not including includ-ing the Logan River system in particular was a big disappointment. disappoint-ment. "It's the largest intact system with a population of Bonneville cutthroat trout in the state," he said. Utah is one of nine states without any wild or scenic river segments. Call Tonya at 789-3511 to place your classified ad today! "v. ...... V, ; , A , Si 1 . i j ''ft- 7 SPIRIT OF THE SEASON In keeping with the spirit of the holiday season, many generous people, churches, clubs, businesses and organizations have been busy readying gifts and baskets of food for those in the Basin who are less fortunate. Christmas elves at the Vernal Elks lodge were no exception, as they boxed their gifts and goodies for 17 families. Everyone received a gift, a turkey dinner and more. (Submitted Photo) Flying J files for bankruptcy Flying J Inc., in a press release re-lease Monday, announced that the company and some of its subsidiaries have filed voluntary petitions to reorganize under Chapter 11 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. The filing will allow the Flying J to address "near-term liquidity liquid-ity needs brought about by the precipitous decline in oil prices coupled with the disruption in the credit markets, " the company said in the press release. All of Flying J's operations, including approximately 250 travel plazas and fuel stops, are open and serving customers in the normal course. The company com-pany plans to continue normal business operations as it moves through the reorganization process. pro-cess. The filing includes Flying J Inc. and its Big West refining and Longhorn Pipeline subsidiaries subsid-iaries only. No other subsidiaries subsidiar-ies or affiliates, including the company's Canadian operations, were included in the filing or are J'" MWr-R With After Hours M ft jKng v. U)IKflatlaFLl r ' - & ' .'.fw"' With appreciation at many thanks to the serving you this . "in-, ' V r f ' f subject to the reorganization proceedings. "Even though Flying J today is a successful and historically profitable company, it faced near-term near-term liquidity pressure from an unprecedented combination of factors: the precipitous drop in the price of oil and the lack of available financing from our traditional tra-ditional sources due to disrupted credit markets," said J. Phillip Adams, Flying J president and CEO in the news release. "With this sudden and unanticipated unan-ticipated inability to meet our liquidity needs, we regret that we had no other choice than a Chapter 11 filing to enable us to stabilize our financial base," Adams added. Adams said the "good news" is that the company we has valuable assets. "We do not expect layoffs will be necessary, and we are optimistic optimis-tic we will be able to generate substantial sub-stantial cash internally to allow us to meet our obligations going forward," he said. "Our objective Wheeler Machinery -CAT 1345 South 1500 East Vernal 789-0635 1 Rental Answering Service the holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and best of neighbors and friends. It's been a real pleasure past year. We truly value your continued business. -Pat Harrcll & Jessica Schofield, Agents Cokhvell Banker Aspen Brook Realty 1340 West Highway 40, Vernal, UT 84078 Office: :) 7S9-7555 9 CYS!: ( 135) mm is to move through this process as quickly as possible and to work toward a solution that will address our short-term liquidity needs and allow us to meet our past obligations in full." In the meantime, Adams said Flying J is focused on continuing business as usual. The company will be filing customary "first day" motions to support its employees, em-ployees, customers and suppliers by providing for the company's associates to continue to be paid in the usual manner, and for their medical, dental, life insurance, disability and other benefits to continue without disruption. Adams said suppliers will be paid under normal terms for goods and services provided after Monday's filing date. mi Check out the Vernal Express classifieds every week for great deals on everthing from A to Z. ItMigitfc dank. CoJmed dank Mfwiqlit, uidk uJuklf icdftml kcjlitby 1 'I.' V ' ' ' , ' . v |