[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 118 (Tuesday, September 20, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10237-S10238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BINGAMAN:
  S. 1734. A bill to establish the Valle Vidal National Preserve in the 
State of New Mexico; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation to 
preserve a special place in my home state of New Mexico, the Valle 
Vidal.
  New Mexico is a State filled with natural wonders, so when you hear 
people referring to the Valle Vidal as ``New Mexico's Yellowstone'' you 
have to stop and take notice. Any visitor to the place won't find it 
hard to see what inspires such a grand comparison. The scenic and 
wildlife features of the Valle Vidal stand out, even in the spectacular 
country of northern New Mexico.
  For decades the area was admired from afar by the public as a famous 
private hunting and fishing ranch, until it was finally taken into 
public ownership in 1982. Since then, the Valle Vidal has become a 
premier destination for all manner of lovers of the outdoors. Whether 
you are drawn to its beautiful aspen stands, its wide meadows and the 
spectacular views they afford, its abundant wildlife, or the 
outstanding camping opportunities that the Boy Scouts take advantage of 
every year, there is much to cherish in the Valle Vidal.
  As the home and crucial wintering ground of the State's largest elk 
herd the area is of iconic value to New Mexican hunters. The elk herd 
is so prized that the State only allows for a once-in-a-lifetime permit 
to hunt there. I am told those that do get a permit rarely return 
unhappy.
  The Valle Vidal is also home to native Rio Grande cutthroat trout and 
will play an important role in the State's plans to recover that 
species from its depressed numbers today.
  The Forest Service has recognized the unique values of the Valle 
Vidal and manages the area with a special emphasis on wildlife but they 
are required under current law to consider developing the eastern half 
for coalbed methane production. They have completed their estimates of 
the available gas resources under the Valle Vidal and any further 
analysis would be the responsibility of the lessee. Based on the 
estimates the Forest Service has done it is clear that, although there 
is certainly money to be made drilling for gas in the Valle Vidal, the 
amounts that could be produced are of no national significance. The 
Forest Service has begun the process of amending their management plan 
for the area and would later begin analyzing the potential conflicts 
that drilling would encompass sometime late next year. This bill would 
remove the need for the second part of that process.
  New Mexico has significant coalbed methane resources in both the 
Raton Basin, where the eastern half of the Valle Vidal is, and the San 
Juan Basin. In fact, the San Juan basin is one of the Nation's foremost 
natural gas production areas, generating about 1 trillion cubic feet of 
gas each year. New Mexico is one of this country's foremost producers 
of oil and natural gas and we are proud of what we do for our Nation's 
energy picture. But New Mexicans are also proud of our wild country. 
The places we love define our character as much as the work we do.

[[Page S10238]]

  The undefinable characteristic of being a New Mexican is shown the 
most clearly in the places we cherish--the places that we recognize as 
so special that we want to set them aside for our children and our 
grandchildren. This is particularly true when it is not an easy choice 
to set them aside. It would be easy to simply pursue resources wherever 
we find them. We certainly need the energy and have shown remarkable 
ingenuity in extracting oil and gas from places previously thought 
unreachable and with gradually lessening effects on the surrounding 
landscape. But our essential character is revealed in making the harder 
choice to slow down and recognize that some places are special and 
warrant special treatment. The Valle Vidal is such a special place.
  Even if there were significant gas resources under the Valle Vidal it 
would be very difficult to risk turning it into an industrial zone. But 
we don't really face that choice here. The eastern half of the Valle 
Vidal comprises less than 1 percent of the gas-producing Raton Basin. 
According to the Forest Service, even with the most optimistic 
projections the gas resources are less than one-half of 1 percent of 
the Raton Basin resources. Using those same projections and even with 
intensive development we could only expect enough gas to come out of 
the Valle Vidal over its 20 year development to meet our Nation's gas 
needs for less than 3 days. In short, drilling the Valle Vidal wouldn't 
make a dime's worth of difference in our national energy picture.
  The Raton Basin will continue to be developed and I'm sure we will 
continue to find additional areas in New Mexico to meet this nation's 
growing energy needs but I hope we can set aside this place to meet 
some of our other needs. Our need to get outside and experience the 
best the natural world has to offer. By creating the Valle Vidal 
National Preserve with this bill we can take the opportunity to 
preserve an essential piece of New Mexican character and demonstrate 
once again that value is more than a question of dollars and cents.
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