JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - An energy advocacy group is criticizing a decision to ban gas drilling on about 40,000 acres of Bridger-Teton National Forest land.
The Jackson Hole News and Guide reports (https://bit.ly/2hEudFg ) that the Denver-based Western Energy Alliance is alleging that forest officials ignored federal law and caved to political pressure when it issued a draft decision last week that invalidates already issued leases in the Wyoming Range.
Bridger-Teton Supervisor Tricia O’Connor on Monday said the forest’s decision was fully legal.
That decision is awaiting final approval by officials in Washington, D.C.
Western Energy Alliance president Kathleen Sgamma said in a statement that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees Bridger-Teton, pushed to expedite the Wyoming Range decision so it would be completed before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
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Information from: Jackson Hole (Wyo.) News And Guide, https://www.jhnewsandguide.com
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