In July of 2008, we found out about over 30 oil & gas leases listed for sale on the Boulder and Yellowstone River.
We asked the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to defer the sale until an agreement on an appropriate setback for those parcels could be arranged. DNRC agreed to a 1/4 mile setback on 16 of the parcels and did not delay the sale. All the leases in Park and Sweetgrass Counties sold for over $7 million, evidence of interest in the area.
On 9/11/08 we hosted a meeting in Livingston that allowed a panel to discuss the lease sales in Park and Sweetgrass Counties and allowed for public input into the process. Over 90 participants came to the meeting and many productive discussions occurred.
JBTU has never taken a position against oil and gas drilling, our goal is to ensure the protection of our blue ribbon trout fisheries with sensible and the ethical development. JBTU will continue to work with MTU to monitor the sale of leases on or near watersheds in our area and we hope to continue our discussions with DNRC, BLM and private land owners.
Documents related to the lease sale, the meeting and infomation from state agencies on oil & gas leasing are attached here. Simply click on a description to open a document.