Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

IDAHO PETROLEUM COUNCIL Mr. Bean. My name is Douglas Bean. I am executive director of the Idaho Petroleum Council, division of the Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Association. I have been a resident of Idaho for over 40 years. I submit that the need for more domestic oil and gas and other strategic miner als, to eliminate dependency on uncertain foreign sources, outrank other matters to be considered. All national forests in Idaho, with one exception, have issued oil and gas leases or have applications pending. The issued or pending leases cover forest lands ranging from the Canadian and Montana borders in the north to the Wyoming and Utah borders in the south and southeast. 258 Already, at least 3.8 million acres have been placed in perma nent wilderness status. That's enough for Idaho. Industries which recommend no more wilderness or very limited additions are the backbone of the State's economy: The producer, the creators of job opportunities, the sources of tax revenues for Federal, State, and local governments. An area's subsurface resources are potentially as important as the surface features. I submit that Senator McClure's committee must have all the relevant information about the land’s resources, both surface and subsurface. If the mineral resources are unknown, then a major, critical component to sound decisionmaking obviously is lacking. Oil and gas exploration and production are essentially a nonde structive use of land, while widespread preservation and lockup is an economically destructive nonuse of public lands. We strongly urge that the Idaho wilderness bill incorporates per manent release and legal sufficiency language