Day 1: Responsible Energy Development Symposium

Day 1 of the Responsible Energy Development Symposium started out with a nice opening speech from John Baughman, who will also act as the moderator throughout the conference.  John is the former Executive Director of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies and former Director of Wyoming Fish & Game.  His speech was short but sweet and he set the tone for the day (and he wore his MKs). 

John Turner then took the mic.  John is the former President and CEO of The Conservation Fund, the Director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and President of the Wyoming State Senate.  He lives in Wyoming and is very passionate about the issues surrounding oil and gas development and their effect on the land, animals and people who live there.  He questioned 6 general "steps" to responsible development and added his own special areas of concern: the Wyoming Range, Greater Sage Grouse habitat, air quality in oil and gas producing areas, and easement issues.  He also touched on 10 principles for responsible energy development, which included better processes, more and better science, stronger monitoring with defined thresholds, better leadership, and protection of wildness, to name a few.

Joanna Prukop, Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Department of Natural Resources, followed with a slideshow depicting the state of the world and region we live in with regards to gas and oil exploration and consumption, both currently and according to plans for the future.  She touched on the statistics showing  Americans as "energy hogs" but didn't go so far as to say that energy (oil and gas) independence is the solution.  Rather she suggests energy security.  She also spoke about alternative energy sources and the issues they face regarding land use and inefficiency.

My final panel for the day (I left early) featured Chris Wood and Tom Reed of Trout Unlimited, Walt Gasson of the Wyoming Wildlife Federation and Tony Dean, the famous and long time television and radio host from the Midwest.  All four spoke of their passions for the outdoors, the mandate for the sportsmen of the world to continue stepping up to protect the wild places, and several things that you and I can do.  Highlights:  Wyoming's energy industry, while often times made to appear as villianous, pays millions of dollars toward schools and scholarships and increased state severance taxes 5-fold in 10 years.  "Jackson Hole is an ethnic enclave of Beverly Hills plopped down into the reddest of red states."-Walt Gasson.  In regards to development, 10,20,30 years down the road, will we find ourselves asking "What have we done?"