GREEN RIVER - As far as resolutions go, this one was pretty innocuous. It was nonbinding and simply added more acres to areas already proposed for protection in the scenic Red Desert.

But the subject of energy development in the remote Adobe Town area of Sweetwater County drew a large crowd and intense discussions during a county commission meeting here this week.

It was a reminder that the future of Adobe Town is very much up in the air and that the debate is far from over.

"The issue keeps coming up … which is a testament to how extremely important this is to Sweetwater County," outgoing commission chairman Wally Johnson said.

Commissioners adopted a resolution recommending that some 160,000 acres of Adobe Town - which was designated by the state as "very rare or uncommon" in 2007 - be placed off-limits for future oil and gas leasing and other industrial uses.

The area includes an 85,000-acre, federally designated Adobe Town wilderness study area. Commissioners excluded private lands and mineral estates in Adobe Town from the restrictions called for in the resolution.

But much of the discussion centered on the implications of the commission's adoption of the resolution, in part because the Bureau of Land Management will have the final say in what the level and pace of oil and gas development will be in Adobe Town.

Conservationists with the Laramie-based Biodiversity Conservation Alliance told commissioners the resolution will send a strong message to the BLM: Protecting Adobe Town is a priority for the local community.

"How much of the Red Desert do we really have to drill?" Biodiversity wildlife biologist Erik Molvar asked commissioners.

"There should be some areas the public can still enjoy in its natural state," he said. "Sweetwater County is blessed to have this area in its portfolio. It's worthy of protecting."

But oil and gas industry representatives and area ranchers said the commission has no business "second-guessing" federal land managers. They said the resolution could jeopardize much-needed energy development for the country, could hurt ranchers in the area and might harm the local economy.

"I think blocking off more acreage (in Adobe Town) at a time when our country needs more energy is a dangerous move for this commission to make," said Shane Schulz, director of government affairs for Questar Exploration and Production Co.

Crown jewel

The 181,000-acre Adobe Town area is located about 30 miles southwest of Wamsutter and is considered by many locals to be one of the West's "crown jewels." The area lies at the southern end of the Red Desert in southwest Wyoming.

Conservationists, area union members, sportsmen and others share concerns about the level and pace of oil, gas and coal-bed methane development that could occur in the area. They contend the area's landscapes, trophy antelope hunting and primitive, badlands habitat is worthy of special protection in the face of proposed development, which could bring up to 15,000 or more new oil and gas wells to the area.

"Most of us live here for more than a paycheck," United Steel Workers union member Mike Burd said. "We live here to hunt, we live here to fish and for those recreation opportunities in Adobe Town … that we have right in our own backyard."

Industry officials, however, said there may be vast resources of much-needed oil and gas in Adobe Town that can be extracted in an environmentally sensitive manner and without significant harm to wildlife and other recreational resources.

Several companies with leased lands in Adobe Town, including Samson Resource Co., Yates Petroleum, Questar and Anadarko, are interested in exploratory drilling in the area.

The BLM is expected to release a final decision sometime next year for its revision of the Great Divide resource management plan, which includes the majority of Adobe Town.

'No question'

In 2006, Biodiversity officials presented the commission with a draft resolution calling for 180,000 acres of Adobe Town be placed off-limits to oil and gas leasing. With little discussion, commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the resolution. But other stakeholders later complained about the move and said their views weren't considered.

Commissioners revisited the issue in February 2007. They adopted an amended resolution that reduced the amount of protected acreage to coincide with the 85,000-acre wilderness study area.

On Tuesday, the commission reversed course again.

The board adopted a new resolution that returned the amount of land designated for protection to the original 180,000 acres - and generally lined them up with the state Environmental Quality Council's "very rare or uncommon" boundaries. But this time it was done without the estimated 20,000 acres of private lands and mineral estate.

"There's no question about protecting Adobe Town, we're all in agreement … the only question is what size do we make Adobe Town, and my position is let's support Adobe Town relative to the size of the (wilderness study area)," said Johnson, who voted against the change.

"(The nation) needs to become energy independent, and Wyoming needs to do its share," he said. "We're the energy basket, whether we like it or not. The quality jobs the energy industry provides to Sweetwater County … we can't be here without them."

But Commissioner Debby Boese urged passage of the resolution. She said the county should have a strong policy recommendation about Adobe Town in the revised plan.

"I see from all the people here this is a grassroots effort," she said. "It's important to respect that face … even though the feds and state have the final answer."

Second-guessing

Energy industry representatives and local agricultural officials opposed amending the resolution. They said the commission was second-guessing the careful analysis of the appropriate regulatory agencies such as the BLM.

They noted the BLM's revised management plan for the area expected to be released next year took five years to craft and included numerous public meetings and opportunities for public comments during the process.

"It's basically unfair for you to decide if the BLM did a good job" in their environmental analysis of Adobe Town, said Darin Scheer, a Farson-based attorney for Samson Resource.

He said Samson has drilled several exploratory wells in the Desolation Flats area near Adobe Town, at depths of about 10,000 feet, with encouraging results.

"You're treading on very thin ice here … This resolution is nothing more than an end-run around established processes that have already taken place," he said.

"Samson's (development proposal) has already been studied by the BLM in their environmental impact statement … and they concluded development would be appropriate in some areas," Scheer said.

Rancher Mary Thoman told commissioners many area ranchers depend on "landowner contracts with the energy industry" to survive during economically tough times. She said most of the land being added in the new resolution lies outside of the wilderness study area and has already been leased for oil and gas.

"This proposal … is an effort to stop energy development and denies landowners an important source of revenue," she said. "Don't choose to over-write the NEPA process. There is more than adequate management in place to cover these areas."

Rock Springs Grazing Association member Bill Taliaferro agreed. He said the resolution would unfairly isolate the private sections in Adobe Town, many of them owned by the grazing association.

"We've got to be able to use our private land in order to benefit the association and our stockholders," he said. "Don't encumber our private land that way."

Contact southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino at (307) 875-5359 or gearino@tribcsp.com.

What they said about Adobe Town

"There's no doubt about the importance of the whole area to Native American culture. Adobe Town is still used by native people for vision quests. One thing is for sure, this place is special, and when you sit on the Adobe Town rim you can tell it's a very spiritual place. There are some places that need to be protected, and this is one because it is so special."

- Richard Baldes, Eastern Shoshone tribal member

"We represent 18,000 members in Wyoming from all walks of life … and about a third of our membership, or roughly 6,000 members, live, work and recreate in this corner of the state. We support this resolution 100 percent. It's an important area for wildlife, it's important for recreation and it's very important for my membership. There are special places in Wyoming like Adobe Town that we would like to see protected."

- Kim Floyd, executive secretary for Wyoming AFL-CIO

"This is a very important place, but the development resolution … is a set-up. There have been permitted wells in Adobe Town for over 50 years. The area is not pristine. You have a political board that's replacing professional land managers. It's very dangerous for you to make political decisions on very important resource matters for this state."

- Don Schramm, retired Bureau of Land Management employee

"We believe multiple use is the proper way to manage the land out there … not having it locked up. We believe energy independence is the most important thing to deal with as a country, and we have to go where that energy exists. All areas have to be considered and developed in a right fashion."

- John Hay, Rock Springs Grazing Association

"We need to do everything we can to protect Adobe Town. Our board is very concerned about these special places, because they're so important to the survival of mankind. We need these spiritual places to renew ourselves. This is one of the most special places in my life."

- Joyce Corcoran, Wyoming Association of Churches