April 29, 2014 02:36 PM UTC

Drilling in National Parks: A Terrible Idea

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• by: western_values

For many, the words “national park” conjure up memories of magnificent vistas, park rangers, impressive wildlife and time well spent with loved ones. Of national parks, Republican President Teddy Roosevelt once mused, “Our people should see to it that they are preserved for their children and their children’s children forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred.”

Every year, America’s national parks provide countless invaluable experiences to the millions who visit them, and contribute billions to our national economy. Yet while most Americans recognize the unique cultural and natural heritage of our nation’s “best idea,” a misguided politician from Texas recently came up with what is surely one of America’s worst ideas.

Developing Oil and Gas in National Parks?

Last month, Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX) floated the fringe idea that the government ought to open up oil and gas development in national parks, like Grand Canyon, to help spur an already booming energy sector. While at an oil and gas convention in Ft. Worth, Texas, Rep. Olson said, “Guys on the West Coast … west of the Mississippi, they know they’ve got oil and gas under the land that they can’t touch because it’s on a national park or some sort of federal land.”

But while Rep. Olson’s rhetoric is yet another hat tip to the oil and gas industry, he’s also found himself on the wrong side of the facts. The truth is, the oil and gas sector doesn’t need any more help. The U.S. is currently producing more crude oil than it has in almost 30 years and is on track to produce more gas than Americans will consume next year. In fact, the oil and gas industry is producing so much American crude oil, they have plans to begin exporting it to other countries.

Not Enough Land?

In 2013 alone, the Bureau of Land Management (the public agency tasked with managing oil and gas leasing) offered up nearly 6 million new acres of public land for oil and gas drilling, yet industry bid on just over a million. To put that into perspective, Yellowstone National Park is just over 2 million acres in size. That means industry isn’t even interested in what’s already available, because the vast oil and gas plays responsible for the recent energy boom are situated on private lands, not in national parks.

Adding further insult to injury, drilling in national parks would be a great deal for industry and a bad deal for American taxpayers.  In Texas, taxpayers receive a royalty rate of 25% for oil and gas produced on state owned land. In contrast, taxpayers receive a royalty rate of just 12.5% for the oil and gas developed on federal land. Put simply, Americans are getting taken to the cleaners each year to the tune of millions in lost royalties.

Economic Powerhouse

Apart from being scenic treasures, national parks are a powerful force for the American economy. A recent National Park Service study found that visitors to national parks spent $14.7 billion last year alone. This spending added $10.8 billion to local economic output and contributed another $6.5 billion to the nation’s gross national product. What’s more, the outdoor industry, largely supported by public lands, adds a further$646 billion to the U.S. economy annually. But you don’t have to look any further than the government shutdown last year to see the economic impact of our national parks. It’s estimated that during the 16-day shutdown, $414 million in spending vanished as gates were closed.

Fortunately, past elected officials from both political parties had the foresight to protect iconic places like Glacier, Yosemite, Yellowstone and Arches, precisely because of their intact ecological, scenic, cultural and economic value. This seems to be an insight lost on some elected officials, like Rep. Olson.

A Place for Common Sense

Thankfully, most people don’t share Rep. Olson’s viewpoint. In fact, recent polling showed that the majority of Americans want more protections for national parks. And new tools at the government’s disposal, such as Master Leasing Plans (MLPs), are in place to make sure we balance energy development with conservation — a position a large majority of Westerners support. In a bi-partisan fashion, politicians have spent nearly the last 150 years protecting treasured landscapes because of their enduring cultural value. That spirit of compromise is worth celebrating. And there’s no better place to do that than in America’s national parks.