The Cost of Energy Dominance

Published in the Montrose Daily Press, March 12, 2025. By Julie Sapena & Chris Rackens

The Cost of Energy Dominance

As promised, the new Administration has moved aggressively to “drill, baby, drill” and assert “energy dominance” across our public lands. As these campaign slogans are translated into policy they begin to form a clear picture of the threats our public lands face. At the heart of this scheme is an effort to take public lands and outdoor access away from the public in favor of extractive uses that will primarily benefit private companies, the wealthy and well-connected. 

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and National Park Service (NPS) are the primary agencies charged with managing our public lands, national forests, national parks and monuments. Employees at these land management agencies have begun to be fired en masse and without cause. Federal funding to support local projects on everything from drought mitigation to wildfire prevention has been frozen subject to a political review. Against that backdrop, the new Secretary of the Interior has issued a slate of Orders that set the stage to gut protections for beloved and ecologically valuable natural landscapes starting with a review of national monuments and all public lands that have been withdrawn from oil, gas, and mining development. 

Let’s not dismiss the local legacy of conservation that has contributed to the vibrancy of Western Colorado communities today. The Gunnison Tunnel was built in partnership with the Bureau of Reclamation in the early 1900s to provide irrigation water to the Uncompahgre Valley. Colorado National Monument was established in 1911. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison was first protected as a National Monument in 1933. In recent decades, several National Conservation Area designations have allowed for a steady balance between growing public lands recreation and historical uses. 

The 2025 State of the Rockies Conservation in the West poll conducted annually by Colorado College shows bipartisan support for pro-conservation policies across Colorado including 88% of people who “prefer decisions about public lands, water, and wildlife be made by career professionals such as rangers, scientists, and firefighters rather than new appointed officials who come from other industries.” These professionals are charged with managing natural resources for the benefit of the public, and in many cases are required to solicit comments from local communities, stakeholders, and members of the public regarding their decisions. 

The process currently being undertaken by this Administration is contrary to America’s public lands ideals and they know it. Moving quickly, secretly, and chaotically helps ensure that impacted communities are unable to respond until after the damage has been done. These Orders ignore the residents and communities whose personal incomes and local economies rely on these lands being available for hunting, fishing, camping, rafting, horseback riding, biking, riding off-highway vehicles, and many other activities popular here in Western Colorado. 

Today, oil production in the U.S. is higher than it’s ever been with roughly 85% of BLM lands already available for energy production. Targeting the small amount of public lands that are protected for the public’s use is unlikely to lower gas prices or support sustainable economic development. The broader scheme is to sell off our public lands, national heritage, and outdoor access for private profit, inevitably at the expense of the public.

Our public lands are in jeopardy and our elected representatives need to hear that public lands are not for sale. Whether you are a rancher, farmer, hunter, angler, off-roader, camper or simply someone reassured by the thought of maintaining our public lands for the benefit of future generations, we must speak up to protect these resources that provide critical habitat for wildlife and sustainable economic opportunities that bring millions of dollars to the Western Slope. 

Speaking out with a collective voice is one of the most powerful ways to enact change. Call, write, or email Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper, Representative Hurd, and Governor Polis and ask them to stand up for all Coloradans in support of protecting our public lands, restoring critical federal funding, and retaining the public employees charged with the management of these resources—not for corporate profit, but for the benefit of current and future generations. Western Colorado simply can’t afford the costs of this reckless energy dominance scheme.

Author Bios: Julie Sapena lives in Paonia and is the Board Chair for the Western Slope Conservation Center. Chris Rackens is the Advocacy Director for the Western Slope Conservation Center and lives in Delta.