Last week, Rep. Reichert voted in favor of an amendment to the H.R. 3408 bill that was written to prevent increased oil shale speculation. Despite his vote, the amendment portion failed and H.R. 3408 ultimately passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill will open two million acres of public lands to for potential oil shale development and mandate commercial oil shale leasing on 125,000 acres of public lands.
“Hunters and anglers across the West thank Representative Reichert for his recent votes opposing oil shale speculation on public lands,” said Gregg Bafundo, Washington Field Coordinator for Trout Unlimited. “While Washington does not have oil shale deposits, the states that do - Colorado, Utah and Wyoming - offer some of the best backcountry hunting and fishing in America, and many hunters and anglers from Washington visit these states for their trophy elk and deer hunting and native trout fishing opportunities.”
Should it ever become commercially viable, oil shale development has the potential to significantly degrade the quality fish and wildlife habitat that sportsmen rely on.
Oil shale has no oil in it and shouldn’t be confused with the more lucrative shale oil plays in places such as the Bakken and Niobrara formations. It is a rock found in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming which contains kerogen. That kerogen can then be turned into oil when heated by hundreds of degrees, sometimes over several years. The process can be very water intensive, requiring as much as 378,000 acre feet of water per year say some estimates by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
Trout Unlimited, the oldest coldwater conservation group in the United States, is recognizing the Representative with the roll out of this campaign, placing ads in local and statewide outlets, such as the Wenatchee World, Bellevue Reporter and Seattle Times.
About Trout Unlimited
Trout Unlimited’s mission is to conserve, protect and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. The Washington Council of Trout Unlimited (WCTU) is an affiliate of the national organization of Trout Unlimited whose headquarters are in Arlington, Virginia. WCTU is made up of 30 chapters with a 5,000+ membership that consists of both recreational anglers and conservationists of all ages throughout the state of Washington. For more information visit Trout Unlimited online at www.tu.org and www.troutunlimitedwashington.org.
For more information about oil shale, visit: http://www.oilshalefacts.org/
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