Western Ranchers Worry That El Paso's Environmental Outreach on Behalf of Ruby Pipeline May Limit Grazing on Public Lands

摘要

A coalition of ranchers from counties in five Western states is upset about an agreement under which El Paso Corp. will pay $20 million over 10 years to two environmental organizations in connection with the Ruby Pipeline Project (CP09-54). According to newspaper accounts, the group met recently in Salt Lake City to coordinate activities in Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon. The ranchers question El Paso's paying the Western Watersheds Project (WWP) $15 million to establish a Sagebrush Habitat Conservation Fund and the Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA) another $5 million. The concern is that the funds will be used to purchase and retire livestock grazing permits, effectively reducing grazing areas on public lands. Some of the counties along the route intend to draft resolutions opposing the agreements. At the least, they want to see the fine print in order to ascertain whether their concerns are warranted.