Drilling Near Dinosaur National Monument Draws Criticism

When I lived in the Uintah Basin I couldn't breathe in the winter. One walk outside for a bit and I was hacking up a lung for a month. Bad air quality...they're not joking...

Sec. Ryan Zinke, said that “oil and gas production on federal lands is an important source of revenue ... ." It will be a colossal give away if these leases are like most of the others on federal land in the West. Count on pennies on the dollar compared to leases paid to private property owners.

Many good thoughts about my visit to Vernal and on to the Monument - the vet who refused to charge me for boarding my dog while I went to the Monument, the kind driver who kept saying "Don't run" while I ran to catch the ride back to my car as it was leaving, the pharmacist who helped me find relief for allergies, the beautiful drive with the great views of curving river and hills and mountains, and the great Monument itself. Each one of these memories would be different if Vernal were taken over by oil company workers and the pristine scenery were dotted with oil rigs and oil rig traffic. The dust outside the controlled environment parts of the Monument had already made me leave early and more dust would stop many from visiting at all. Can't some things just be left alone to be enjoyed? Do all lands and rivers have to produce something? This is a huge country; surely we can afford to let some areas not be tied to production of money-making projects?

As someone who visited the fossil visitor center while driving the back roads from Salt Lake to Rifle, I can't see the proposed development affecting the nature of the fossil area. It's right at the southwest corner of the Monument, with plenty of agriculture and oil/gas development throughout the area (including numerous small pipelines along the roadsides). Not a big deal.

300,000 annual visitors for a 330 sq mi park works out to about 2.5 persons/sq mile/day and that hardly seems like an overcrowded situation. And what's the alternative - cut back on visitors? If so, why have the park to begin with? With respect to the development activity, the intent here clearly is to criticize and restrict any commercial activity (aligned with the general philosophy of the NYT) and the only thing lacking in this piece is some mention of climate change

Years ago, while camping under the cottonwoods at Dinosaur NP we heard the shrill squeak of a dying rabbit from across the river. My two dogs nearly tore themselve out of the tent to "help the coyote" with the rabbit. It is those visual and auditory experiences that are part of visiting a national park, historic site or preserve. It takes oneself out of the daily grind into a new "ordinary" (especially for the coyote). Another year, we missed the entrance to Dinosaur and stopped at the side of the road to have lunch. The arroyo was filled with butchered carrasses of cows, calfs, and an elk - someone had sawn the antlers off. The area certainly needs more protection, not less.

I would have appreciated more due diligence on the part of the Times. There are two visitor centers. The one cited could have been named. Near is a relative word: In The City near is a matter of blocks, whereas in the west near may be thought of as anything under 50 miles. The online government map shows travel time from both of the visitor centers to the attractions. Then again my observation of journalists in general is that they are incapable of adding, subtracting or dividing numbers. Maybe near is the best they can do, which makes me wonder about the rest of the story too

For heaven's sake -- "near" the National Monument? "Dinosaur National Monument is spread over 210,000 acres along the Colorado and Utah border. Each part of the monument offers different experiences and things to see." The "park's entrance road" is 15 miles long, from the nearest highway....before one actually enters the Monument itself. This is a non-story -- pushed by the anti-everything crowd.

I’ve been I’ve been to 43 of our National Parks and additional Monuments and BLM sites. They are our shared treasures. They provide respite from the world and wonder in the magnificent. Long before this administration, I felt like People have become regarded as pockets to be picked. Now it’s our parks, too. Protection for posterity, not so much. I’m torn between immediate terror and eventual tragedy.

Oil and gas development is risky and temporary. In 50 years the production equipment will be gone and the land restored. Some people may not like it, but economic progress requires development. The ozone argument is specious as juniper and pinyon trees emit high concentrations of VOC's, so the ozone pollution is natural, unless someone wants to go in and log them, the ozone will stay.

Thank goodness for the brave activists of Earth First! and other eco-warriors. The only way left to deal with Trump and his ilk is direct action.

If you noticed the reference to ozone pollution, you may be curious what that’s about. Dinosaur National Monument is the most ozone polluted park in the country. The National Park Service blames that on power plants even though there are few power plants anywhere near this thinly populated area. According to most scientists, it is far more likely that the pollution is caused by auto emissions. Most of the automobile traffic consists of the 350,000 Park visitors. As you probably know, dinosaurs are very popular with kids. You could certainly make an argument that designating this as a National Monument brought the visitors who destroyed the air quality. Of course the park employees deny that. Sometimes you can’t trust the good guys.

Welcome to my state, where politicians will sell any piece of land they can to the highest bidder -- unless it's the federal government, and then it's "Butt out! We know how to rape and pillage our land without your intervention!" Given the chance, every national park and monument in Utah would have its mineral and oil rights sold to faceless corporations that could care less what it does to the pristine environment of these areas, not to mention its vast archaeological and spiritual heritage of the Native Americans here before the White Man came in 1847 (and we all know who that was!).

We need a major housecleaning at the top of the fossil fuel & other industry jackals that are running these regulatory agencies under Trump, the chief of jackals.

By all means, pump and dump till we are again beholden to foreign energy producers. Holding on to our strategic resources now is foolish. Only next year, the future defense will be assured by those solar powered, negative sonic fighters. Really, the whole lot of them are guilty of espionage and sabotage.

The GOP would allow drilling for gas and oil in Arlington National Cemetery if trace amounts of petroleum were found there.

"You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone".... Joni knew, but apparently a LOT of us never did & still don't..... Uh oh.

Oh, no.... The place is beautiful, secluded, and quiet. It's a wonderful place to mull about our place in the universe, and the long history of those who came before us, human or not. You arrive after a long trek through sparse landscapes to a place even more silent... This is an area rich in fossols and not fully explored - so little boys with big trucks want to take their hammers and smash everything? Pure stupidity.

All the dark skies parks need special protection from light pollution. I was recently at Chaco Canyon during the equinox and the park was crowded with visitors who had come for the astronomical event, the dark skies and archeoastronomy. Oil and gas development is now within seven miles of Chaco. Fewer and fewer Americans are growing up not being able to see the Milky Way, the galaxy where we live, a continuing disconnect from the natural world that offers us the benefits of pausing to reflect about our place in the real world beyond the glow of a cell phone.

It's disheartening to realize that this administration sees its tenure in office as simply a money making scheme. Nothing is sacred except the dollar. It seems we will soon have oil rigs and air pollution at many of our national parks. "In Money We Trust."

We are exporting oil and gas because we are pumping more than we need. To allow drilling on Federal land is unforgivable. But Trump and the GOP have been paid a whole lot of money to make their donors richer.

This is absolutely outrageous, sick and wrong. Interior Secretary Zinke and EPA Director Pruitt should be fired (and, in my opinion, jailed) immediately. Our Nation's Natural Heritage and Beauty is being sold to any Energy Corporation that wants to further rape the Earth for a profit. What are we, as Americans, paying our taxes for if "our" Government treats our National Monuments like a doormat or a dumpster?

Trump and his people will not be content until they turn our country into one long continuous strip mall where not a single thing is left unmonetized. And they are working at it as hard as they can while they ignore and mishandle everything else.

All those who appreciate, recreate and earn a living on the remarkable cultural and natural resources that are our public lands should: 1. If possible go enjoy what's still left asap. 2. Tell friends, family, visitors (foreign/domestic) & local, state, federal officials that taxpayer subsidized oil/gas development was & will never be appropriate. 3. Advocate and activate for updating the 1872 mining law NOW. Once it's gone it's gone forever. GONE FOREVER! Contrary to the oaths sworn, nothing is sacred to this administration except themselves and the twisted agenda of mr. trump and his yes men & women who have sold their own souls........ for what? Heartbreakingly sad.