EDITORIAL: Groundwater and 'greed' - State official's comments unacceptable

Posted 6/12/12

During a meeting in Canada last week, Oil and Gas Supervisor Tom Doll said Pavillion-area residents who blame drilling for groundwater pollution are motivated by greed.

"I really believe greed is driving a lot of this ... I think they're just …

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EDITORIAL: Groundwater and 'greed' - State official's comments unacceptable

Posted

For Wyomingites, water is a precious resource.

Just look around the Powell Valley — without water, our green irrigated fields would be nothing more than dry dirt and sagebrush.

Wyoming's constitution recognizes water as an essential and limited resource. The constitution calls for the state to equally guard water for "all the various interests involved."

Considering just how precious and essential water is, recent statements from the state's top oil and gas official are especially shocking.

During a meeting in Canada last week, Oil and Gas Supervisor Tom Doll said Pavillion-area residents who blame drilling for groundwater pollution are motivated by greed.

"I really believe greed is driving a lot of this ... I think they're just looking to be compensated," Doll was quoted as saying in EnergyWire, an energy news publication.

Gov. Matt Mead's office said Doll's comments do not reflect the views of the governor's administration.

Doll later apologized for his comments Wednesday, calling them "inappropriate and inconsiderate," the Casper Star-Tribune reported.

Yes, Mr. Doll. You're exactly right about that.

After such inappropriate comments, it's difficult for Wyoming residents to believe Doll is an objective leader. Instead, we're left questioning if concern for the oil and gas industry outweighs his commitment to Wyoming's residents.

Doll has questioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's draft report that theorizes that fracking might have polluted groundwater in the Pavillion area. The controversial December report has thrust Pavillion — population 231 — into the national spotlight of the ongoing fracking debate. Whatever the outcome in Pavillion, many far beyond the Cowboy State will be watching closely.

This month, the New York Times featured Pavillion in an article headlined, "In Land of Gas Drilling, Battle for Water that Doesn't Reek or Fizz."

Doll is well aware of the national attention surrounding Pavillion's polluted groundwater. His decision to make insensitive and judgmental statements while this unresolved issue remains at the center of public scrutiny is staggering.

Before the EPA findings were made public last year, Doll expressed worry about how the report could impact state revenues and the economic viability of oil and gas deposits, according to an Associated Press investigation.

Oil and natural gas development provides a crucial revenue stream to Wyoming — no one here questions that.

But the state also must make a continuing commitment to our other natural resources as well as public health and safety.

It's important to note that testing in Pavillion is ongoing, and no definitive conclusion has been drawn.

"It is premature to draw conclusions about the outcome of the current scientific investigation, which will be informed by sampling and analysis of the EPA’s deep monitor wells. Gov. Mead continues to say Wyoming will be led by the science," said Renny MacKay, Mead's press secretary, in a statement last week.

What happens in Pavillion matters to those of us throughout Wyoming. The situation in Pavillion is unique, but all of us who live around oil and gas development need to know state officials put objective scientific data and public safety before their personal opinions.

We also need assurance that the state is honoring our constitution by working for “all the various interests involved.”

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