OUR HARD WORK HAS PAID OFF!  On 7 August 2008 The Utah Division of Oil, Gas, & Mining returned the application for the permit to drill to Pearl Montana Exploration near SPIRAL JETTY because of inadequate response to detailed questions regarding their proposal.  To view the letter, you can download a copy for your records:   20080807_pearl_mt_apds_3_1 218.99 Kb

For additional information and background on this important event, click on read more below. 

On 7 January 2008, Pearl Montana Exploration and Production, LTD., requested a permit to drill exploratory wells in the north arm of the Great Salt Lake just five miles from Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty. Although the permit was earmarked to be fast-tracked, FRIENDS and others requested an extension for comments from the public until 13 February 2008. Please click below for a copy of the comments filed on behalf of FRIENDS and additional resources on the history of this important issue.  This permit is the first of many possible permit applications for oil drilling near Rozel Point. In 2006, FRIENDS and other conservation organizations successfully halted further development of oil and gas leases on 116,000 acres of the North Arm. Unfortunately, 50,000 acres already had open leases and have the potential for oil exploration and development.

We have included several items below that will help you understand this issue in historical and current terms.

FRIENDS submitted formal comments on 13 February 2008 to members of the Resource Development Coordinating Committee and John Baza, Director of the Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining. 

 FriendsRDCCcomments2-13-08.pdf 106.93 Kb

Several newspapers have issued editorials against drilling so close to Spiral Jetty.  The Deseret News chimed in on the debate on Sunday, 17 February.  The New York Times issued an editorial on  Monday, 18 February, and The Salt Lake Tribune registered their opinion on 20 February.   We have combined the text of all these newspaper articles into one PDF document.  

 jettyeditorialsfeb2008 81.19 Kb

Hikmet Loe is a long time meber of FRIENDS, Art Historian at Westminster College, and serves as a fine art librarian at Salt Lake City Public Library.  Read her opinion piece published in the Salt Lake Tribune on 2/29/08.  Click on this link:  http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_8411973

Pasatiempo is a weekly arts and culture magazine in Santa Fe.  They  published an article about this topic in their 22-28 February 2008 issue.  To download a copy click here:   PasatiempoMagazineArticle 430.21 Kb

The Architectural Record has also chimed in.  To download a PDF of the article, click here:

 Architectural_Record 215.87 Kb

Finally, do you really know all you need to know about the process of drilling for oil?  This article in the Santa Fe New Mexican provides an excellent overview of hidden costs and potential threats to the environment that are rarely discussed.  Many Oil and Gas companies vow to use environmentally sound practices.  But, do they?   To link to the article, click below:

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Drilling-s-hidden-costs 

For historical information on the issue

we have included a copy of the Final Stipulation or agreement on oil and gas leases reached in 2006.

2006oilgasfinalstipulation 133.16 Kb

This is an article summing up the agreement, which appeared in The Salt Lake Tribune by Joe Baird in May of 2006. 
May2006_sltribunearticle 53.55 Kb

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