By law, the Bureau of Land Management was supposed to do a detailed cost-benefit analysis on proposed natural gas drilling in the Jonah Field south of Pinedale, Wyoming. Far from achieving "balance" that recognized the habitat needs of pronghorn, mule deer, sage-grouse and other species, the BLM permitted intensive development that even Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal described as an environmental sacrifice zone and "an example of what not to do in the future." This was done with NEPA in effect. What will a weakened law mean as the Trump Administration aggressively moves toward removing regulations perceived to be burdensome to industry while covering the West with thousands of more wells?  Photo courtesy Ecoflight (ecoflight.org)
By law, the Bureau of Land Management was supposed to do a detailed cost-benefit analysis on proposed natural gas drilling in the Jonah Field south of Pinedale, Wyoming. Far from achieving "balance" that recognized the habitat needs of pronghorn, mule deer, sage-grouse and other species, the BLM permitted intensive development that even Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal described as an environmental sacrifice zone and "an example of what not to do in the future." This was done with NEPA in effect. What will a weakened law mean as the Trump Administration aggressively moves toward removing regulations perceived to be burdensome to industry while covering the West with thousands of more wells? Photo courtesy Ecoflight (ecoflight.org)