http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/20.../60-hunting.txt

the blog comments are the best part of the whole deal.

I know... And I haven't even added mine yet!

Damn nice article, Ben! You might have to help Larry with some of the big words....

...you should start a Fan Club...

I wonder who 2500cfs is?

gene, would you be the president of my fan club? You get a cool autographed photo.

I call him Captain Subtle

Have him brong some friends.

Ben - Where do they plan to drill in the Beaverhead National Forest?

They're going to drill some wildcat wells around Lima, and there's a 2D seismic project slated for, I think, Big Sheep Basin.

Alright. So where is the roadless area you speak of in your op-ed piece?

Link to the FS map:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/b-d/gislib/visitor...isitor_map3.pdf

After scanning the FS area, it appears that the region is already full of gravel and 4wd roads.

(.... I'm just trying to make Ben work a little for his money...)

Paul, I've got the info back in the office.

the stips for the 2-d project have an NSO due to roadless protection. as we both know, just because a place is designated Roadless, doesn't mean there's not jeep trails or atv trails and authorized use in there.

However, the NSO stip only applies to development, not exploration, so they're going to use helicopters to bring in crews and drop off equipment. If they decide that it's worth developing, then there would be a road cut in right up to the edge of the stip area, and they'd directionally drill.

However, the better question to ask is, should a well be drilled there in the first place?

That is a very good question. Without all the information, how can I make an informed decision? I need to look at the area in question and look at all the potential benefits, as well as, the potential setbacks to fish and wildlife. For me, it isn't always a simple answer. I often find that the real answer falls somewhere in the middle and that is why we have people like you fighting for protection and the resource companies working hard to deliver the resrouces we all need and use on a daily basis. Quite simply, we need both!

Paul, just blindly believe everything I say. I thought you'd have that figured out by now. :)

We do need both, and that's why we're not trying to end O&G drilling, we just want it done in a sustainable manner. Not how it's done today.

Gene told me many years ago to ignore everything you say!



I understand. I think we can and should also improve on the techniques used in resrouce extraction.

...I have it on "good authority" roadless means just that, there are no roads there...

Well now, if that were true, the greenies would have it designated as wilderness so you couldn't use a gun in there.

(I crack me up.)

Ah, haha, now I'm a terrorist.

Gotta love blogs. :)

"Who needs torrists to threaten our liberty and standard of living, we have Ben Lamb and so many of like mind who pose a far more serious threat as they incrementally undermine the basis of a free society and impose socialism in response to fabricated crises."

Ben - Next time, make sure your op-ed is posted during the week! I think your piece would have generated at least 3 times the amount of blogger traffic that you are seeing today. Stats don't lie and many people post from work during the week....

I wish someone would post a link(give Ben some kudos...) on the "other forum" so we can get some of those whackos to respond to the blog section...

We sent that out last week. Most folks read weekend editions, so we hope for a weekend, Sunday preferred, posting. It'll be up there for a few more days given the level of traffic it's generating.

It's amazing to me how so many people disregard what is said in favor of what they want to hear.

...keep laffing, there, Chuckles, maybe you can get a job w/ the U.N. when hillary gives it all away as "World Heritage Sites", or maybe a broker for private landowners, after she declare all "Public Lands" "Gunfree Zones". "Roadless" was just a practice session, who knew "Wilderness Study Areas" would take 20 yrs. They've got it figured out, Ben, they don't need laws, they just need litigation...

WOW!

...yeah, those guys from MT are a little slow, but if ya keep beatin' over the head w/ a hammer & sickle, they finally figgur it out...

...damnsocalistcommiebastagewoofhugger, anyway...

I guess I'm behind on my reading.

What we really need is more wind farms.....

I haven't checked in a while, but did they finally suspend the CBM over near bozo pass?

Nice article, Ben. Totally agree.

That Gazette comment crowd is a tough one. If the Pope wrote a column they would find something to be pissed about.