Misconceptions about oil and gas drilling in the West

March 22, 2010 Colorado Trout Unlimited

Denver Post Guest Commentary

By Chris Wood, the president and chief executive officer of Trout Unlimited.

Recent reports show oil and gas drilling in 2009 was at an 18-year low. Before the fingers start pointing at Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar for putting a stranglehold on the oil and gas industry, let's clarify that first statement: Oil and gas drilling in 2009 was at an 18-year low in Canada.

Some industry trade groups may blame Salazar for the declining trend in oil and gas activity in the Rocky Mountain West, but the reality is that the global recession isn't relegated to Vernal, Utah, Pinedale, Wyoming, and Rifle, Colorado. Well counts all across the western U.S. and Canada fell last year, with the province of Alberta seeing a 50-percent cut in the number of wells drilled in 2009 compared with 2008.