I don't know if you can still sign the petition on this, but if you can, please do.
Thanks in advance
Dear TexPIRG supporter,
It's time to draw a line in the sand of Wyoming's Red Desert. The White House is
proposing to let some of their biggest campaign contributors in the oil, gas and
coal industries drill more than 1500 wells across a wilderness that was once a
famous passageway for the Pony Express - the Jack Morrow Hills in the Red Desert in
Wyoming. The Hills are also home to North America's largest antelope and desert elk
herds and the site of rare prehistoric rock art painted over 2,000 years ago.
I wish I could tell you that this proposal is just about drilling in one place, but
it's not. It's a trial balloon to test our strength. If the polluters can get access
to an area as historically and ecologically sensitive as the Jack Morrow Hills,
they'll know that with enough political pressure and campaign donations, they'll be
able to drill, mine, and log just about anywhere – even in national monuments.
We can stop this proposal, but only if we act quickly and mobilize enough friends
and family to counterbalance the polluters' big campaign checks. The Bush
administration is only accepting comments on its drilling proposal until August 16.
Please take a moment to let the White House know that Americans are drawing a line
in the Red Desert sand – and that we won't let the polluters cross it. Then, forward
this e-mail on to three friends or family members and let them know we need them to
take action if we're going to save America's wilderness.
To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=801&id4=ES
Background
The Jack Morrow Hills cover 620,000 acres, and one-third of that space is potential
wilderness. This wild landscape contains volcanic rock formations and aspen covered
buttes, active sand dunes and rainbow colored deserts. This area is home to the
largest desert elk herd and largest antelope herd on the continent.
The Red Desert also contains vital links to America's cultural history. The
prehistoric rock art in the Red Desert is over two-thousand-years-old. More
recently, riders on the Pony Express rode through the Red Desert, as did Mormon
settlers. Today, the members of the Shoshone tribe still visit spiritual sites in
Jack Morrow Hills. The Shoshone Wind River Reservation is nearby, and the tribe
maintains its strong connection to the Red Desert.
Wyoming conservation groups are calling on Congress to designate Jack Morrow Hills
as a National Conservation Area within the Red Desert. For now, however, this wild
land is unprotected. It is vulnerable to the insatiable appetite of the oil and gas
industries. The Bush administration, with its well known ties to Big Oil and Gas,
has proposed to allow 1077 natural gas wells and 543 coal bed methane wells to be
drilled in Jack Morrow Hills Study Area – bringing in seismic thumper trucks,
building roads, and bringing pollution to a once-pristine area.
Please take a moment to let the White House know that Americans are drawing a line
in the Red Desert sand – and that we won't let the polluters cross it. Then, forward
this e-mail on to three friends or family members and let them know we need them to
take action to save America's wilderness.
To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=801&id4=ES
Sincerely,
Luke Metzger
TexPIRG Advocate
LukeM@texpirg.org
http://www.TexPIRG.org
*Hugs & Love*
