House Panel Approves Sen. Udall's Bill to Protect Valle Vidal

From the NM Wilderness Alliance:
WASHINGTON— A key U.S. House committee voted Wednesday to protect the Valle Vidal— 102,000 acres in New Mexico's Carson National Forest— from gas drilling. HR 3817 (Udall, NM), the “Valle Vidal Protection Act of 2005," was approved by the U.S. House Resources Committee on a unanimous voice vote. The bill could next be heard by the full House.

"This is a huge step forward in the process to protect one of New Mexico's most precious gems," said Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., who authored the measure. "Protecting the Valle Vidal means preserving for New Mexico and the nation a land rich in history and culture and abundant in wildlife."

The U.S. Forest Service, which manages the Valle Vidal, has been considering whether to open 40,000 acres of the land to coal-bed methane drilling. The Forest Service solicited public opinion on the proposal and received 54,000 responses, only nine of which supported drilling in the area, according to an analysis by the Coalition for the Valle Vidal, which opposes opening up the Valle Vidal to gas drilling.

The Valle Vidal, located in Taos and Colfax counties, is home to one of the largest elk herds in the state and has been described as an outdoorsman's paradise. Udall also said the Valle Vidal was home to some of America's earliest inhabitants — including Native Americans, Spanish settlers and myriad forms of wildlife.

"I believe we have a responsibility to protect it for future generations," he said.

The Valle Vidal tract was donated to the Forest Service in 1982 by Pennzoil Co., which never drilled in the area.

Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., who sits on the House Resources Committee, said Wednesday he supported the protection. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., became a co-sponsor of the measure after it passed the committee Wednesday. She had previously declined to publicly support or oppose the legislation, saying she wanted to study the matter and hear public feedback.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M, has sponsored similar legislation in the Senate, but Sen. Pete Domenici, chairman of the Senate Energy Natural Resources Committee, has not yet declared a position on the Valle Vidal Protection Act.

Editor's Note: You can thank Rep. Tom Udall by contacting him here. It also might be good to thank Rep. Heather Wison for her better late than never support here, and Rep. Pearce for his support here. It's just as important to thank elected officials for doing the right thing as it is to express criticism when they do things we don't support.

Most of all, please urge Senator Pete Domenici to support protection of the Valle Vidal here. Isn't it time for Domenici to support one of New Mexico's (and the West's) most valuable natural resources? Time will tell if he decides to do the right thing or continues to do the bidding of his big donors and the highly paid lobbyists of oil and gas corporations.

You're also urged to support the work of the Coalition for the Valle Vidal.