Idaho Wilderness Hearings

Statement:

COORDINATOR, CONOCO Dr. Birdsall. Yes; thank you. I am public lands coordinator for Conoco. My testimony in Boise described why my company needed hard release language for our long-term investment security. I'd like to switch to another subject today on the compatibility of our oil and gas operations with sensitive environments. You have heard a lot in these hearings and you will continue to hear because our oil work is irreparably damaging wilderness withdrawals essen tial to protection of it. However, as Mr. Gill has testified on the proven ability to rehabilitate, it simply does not bear out that argu ment. I'll start with a story on Senate bill 2801, the wilderness bill last year. During hearings on that bill chaired by Senator McClure, we heard the vice president of the Audubon Society describe to the Senate the awful consequences of oil activities on Federal lands. And you probably know that the Audubon also owns a number of wildlife refuges on private lands, and on those private refuges they encourage oil exploration and production. The royalty revenue is important to the work of the society. The oil operations are careful ly controlled to be in harmony with the wildlife environment, and we have no great problems with that. A few days after I heard the Audubon testimony describing these terrible effects, our exploration manager was called to the Audu bon's offices to see how we could expedite work on a private lease that we held from them in Louisiana. Today we are drilling on that lease. I hope we do find oil and so does Audubon. It's just multiple use at its best, a true case of eating your cake and having it too. This is not an attack on the Audubon for appearing to have double standards, but rather a caution to Congress to look carefully at ex aggerated claims of incompatibility. Conoco, like others, seeks to be on the cutting edge of science. A part of that is our improved and improving ability to treat the land gently while havesting its resources. We have operated an oil field for 50 years in the Federal Wildlife Refuge at Aransas Pass; that's a fragile home to 22 endangered species. The magnificent whooping crane winters there amongst our pumps, pipelines, and oil field equipment. We are fortunate to have this living, striking testimony to coexistence because under today's restrictions we probably would not have had the opportunity to enter those lands. A few years ago, we drilled a dry hole near Gray's Lake, a highly sensitive environmental area southeast of here. We met all the con ditions to operate with no harm whatsoever to the fragile surface and wildlife resources. We are but one of several companies who have explored and drilled eastern Idaho, and we have a continuing interest to explore and drill more. It would be tragic indeed to deny Idaho's industry future on the alleged, but misinformed, basis of in compatibility. 657 I recall a quote attributed to Mark Twain. Upon reading of his death, accidently posted in the obituaries, Mark Twain wrote back, 'The recent reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.' You have heard many claims of incompatibility during these hearings, and like Mark Twain's death, they are very greatly exag gerated. We hope you will remember this when you return to Washington to write our bill. On a personal basis I might say that I am an active user of the wilderness. I have enjoyed the mountains, the forests, hiking, and backpacking in the wilderness, and I expect to continue to visit the wildernesses in the future. However, I hope — thank you.