[Coalition_for_valle_vidal] ACTION ALERT: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:

[Jim O'Donnell]

Valle Vidal Supporters,

Yesterday, the article below calling for increased oil and gas  
development on public lands  appeared in the Albuquerque Tribune.  As  
you can easily see, the author chose to fill his piece with falsities  
and distortions.  Further, his position would keep our nation trapped  
in the increasingly shrinking box that is fossil fuels.  His letter  
deserves a response.  I hope you will be able to help.  Talking points  
and contact information below.


Talking Points (please use all or some of the following in your letter)

  - NMOGAs assertions are inconsistent with the facts. New Mexico is  
already making a huge sacrifice, but  despite record drilling over the  
last 5 years, prices keep going up.  Why? Fossil fuel resources are  
running dry.  The sooner we switch to a clean energy economy, the  
better.

- The fastest, cheapest, most reliable way to reduce energy costs is by  
increasing our reliance on clean energy.

- Aggressive development of clean energy resources over the next 7-10  
years would lead to enough wind power to supply 25 million homes.  It  
takes 2.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas to generate the same  
amount of energy - that is about 80
% of total current natural gas production on public lands.

- Reducing energy demand by 2% with energy efficiency measures can  
result in price reductions of up to 25%.

- There are over 8,000 federal oil and gas leases in effect in New  
Mexico, covering over 4,825,000 acres – more federal leases and federal  
acreage leased than any state except Wyoming.
 
-  The BLM issued over 1,300 drilling permits in New Mexico in 2004,  
more than any state except Wyoming.  Even though the BLM issued over  
1,300 drilling permits in New Mexico in 2004, the oil and gas industry  
only drilled 726 new holes in the state in that year – in other words  
well over 500 drilling permits issued by the federal government went  
unused by the industry.  Why is this?
 
  - The New Mexico oil land gas industry has over 25,000 wells on  
federal lands in New Mexico, more than any other western state.

- There is not enough gas in all the West to supply the nation for more  
than a few years.

- NMOGA’s empty “good neighbor” policy is a bust. The New Mexico Oil  
Conservation Division’s recent collection of data showing more than  
1400 groundwater contamination cases due to oil and gas activities and  
the industry’s rabid opposition to the OCD’s proposed regulations on  
use/construction of pits and disposal of surface wastes.  Some  
neighbor.

- If wind farms expanded at the current rate through 2010, we could  
double the amount of gas saved to around 365bcf a year.  That is close  
to 10 Valle Vidals.

  - No power plant, wind, coal, nuclear, runs at full capacity 100% of  
the time.  A 100MW wind farm running at, say, only 35% capacity will  
generate 306,000MWh of energy a year.  It takes a gas -fired plant  
between 2.3 and 2.75 billion cubic feet of gas to generate the same  
power.  That equals 3-5 Valle Vidals.  So, let me make this clear: one  
wind farm running at 35% capacity will generate more electricity than  
3-5 Valle Vidals?!?!?!

- This is clearly a debate between new, clean and efficient  
technologies and old, dirty and inefficient technologies.  Its a debate  
between a very bright future full of possibility and a dark future  
where we increasingly poison ourselves and the land we depend on.

Send to:

Letters to the Editor
Albuquerque Tribune
PO Drawer T
Albuquerque, NM 87103

Fax: 505-823-3689
Phone: 505-823-3699
email: letters at abqtrib.com



>> http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/op_commentaries/article/ 
>> 0,2565,ALBQ_19866_4377268,00.html
>>  
>> The Albuquerque Tribune
>>  
>> Commentary: Mine the lands
>>
>> Those who erect roadblocks to natural-gas exploration in energy-rich  
>> Western lands contribute to the continued hit on consumers'  
>> pocketbooks.
>>
>> By Bob Gallagher
>> January 10, 2006
>>
>> With much of the attention focused these days on high energy prices,  
>> we come back to the cure for today's energy issue: supply.
>>
>> The nation is using more natural gas than we have, and access to  
>> energy-rich lands, in New Mexico as well as the Mountain West, plays  
>> a pivotal role in ensuring that we have adequate energy supplies.
>>
>> Clean-burning natural gas provides roughly one-quarter of the  
>> nation's energy and according to the Energy Information  
>> Administration, our consumption of natural gas will increase by 40  
>> percent by 2025. Allowing the oil and natural gas industry access to  
>> explore and develop federal lands is a necessary move that benefits  
>> everyone across the nation. The lands in question are non-park,  
>> non-wilderness and are designated for multiple uses.
>>
>> I should repeat that the lands in question are non-park,  
>> non-wilderness and are designated by Congress for multiple uses. When  
>> the public, the media and those who fight development fully  
>> understand this, perhaps the battles will cease - or at least wane in  
>> their intensity.
>>
>> The media have reported for months now that this winter promises to  
>> be expensive because of the increased cost of natural gas. The Energy  
>> Information Administration's annual energy-outlook report projects  
>> demand for natural gas to steadily increase at an average annual rate  
>> of 1.5 percent through 2025. Consumers using natural gas to heat  
>> their homes likely will spend an average of $600, or 75 percent more,  
>> for fuel this winter than last winter.
>>
>> It is important for energy consumers to know that reducing the  
>> barriers to exploration and development on public lands could curb  
>> rising natural gas prices. Too many of the best oil and natural gas  
>> prospects are officially or unofficially off-limits, because of  
>> government regulation and limitations.
>>
>> Even in our own state and in the Mountain West, where areas already  
>> have been leased, onerous permit delays and nuisance litigation  
>> hinder oil and gas production. Restrictions on permits, such as  
>> prohibitions on surface activity, make it difficult, if not  
>> impossible, to develop leased areas.
>>
>> Each lawsuit filed and each delay in the permitting or leasing  
>> process is another day New Mexicans and all Americans are asking  
>> themselves why they are spending so much to heat their homes.
>>
>> We should also tell consumers that a balance can be struck: We can  
>> live with production and consumption, while still protecting the  
>> environment.
>>
>> For example, here in New Mexico, the New Mexico Oil and Gas  
>> Association continues its good-neighbor practice by ensuring that  
>> field workers understand the benefits of being a good neighbor. These  
>> practices help ensure that the environment is protected as natural  
>> resources are developed and produced. The Oil and Gas Association's  
>> bold initiative is just one of many examples of how the industry is  
>> making long-term, committed strides toward making a visible  
>> difference to the environment.
>>
>> The industry understands that quality of life means more than just  
>> heat for homes or enough gasoline to get to the store. It also means  
>> protecting and improving the human and natural environment, while  
>> producing the life-enhancing products we need to sustain our daily  
>> lives.
>>
>> An energy policy that fails to develop the nation's domestic  
>> resources places a heavy burden on consumers and their pocketbooks.  
>> According to a 2003 natural gas study conducted by the National  
>> Petroleum Council, if the current constraints on natural gas  
>> development continue, consumers can expect to see a rise of $300  
>> billion in increased energy costs during the next 20 years.
>>
>> In these times, I urge everyone to do what's best for New Mexico, the  
>> country and future Americans: Allow the oil and natural gas industry  
>> access to energy-rich lands, so our state and America can grow  
>> economically and have a reliable supply of energy for generations to  
>> come, while protecting our important environmental qualities.
>>
>
Jim O'Donnell
Outreach Coordinator, Coalition for the Valle Vidal
www.vallevidal.org
PO Box 238
Taos, NM 87571
505-758-3874

Are you a member of the Coalition for the Valle Vidal?  Would you like  
to support our efforts?  Join or contribute today at:  
http://www.vallevidal.org/involved.html