Will energy help or hurt Udall?

Photo by Doc Searles

The New York Times today examines the possibility that Rep. Tom Udall's legacy of environmental protection—a legacy he shares with his cousin, Congressman Mark Udall (D-Colo.), father Stewart Udall and uncle Mo Udall—might hamper his chances against former oil man Steve Pearce in November. As the Times reports:
 

Representatives Tom and Mark Udall possess one of the most famous political names in the West, one virtually synonymous with protecting the region’s spectacular natural resources from overuse and exploitation. ...Yet with gas prices at levels where filling the family pickup truck can cost more than $100, their Republican opponents are trying to turn the Udall trademark into a black mark. They contend that the Udalls’ resistance to new drilling and to wringing oil out of Rocky Mountain shale has contributed to the energy cost squeeze.

What is shale oil development? CBS News did a piece on it last week. You can watch it here.

Opposition to shale oil development is stiff. As the Huffington Post pointed out, it wasn't much reported, but the U.S. Conference of Mayors on June 28 adopted a resolution aimed at avoiding oil shale, tar sands, and liquid coal, all fuel sources that use a tremendous amount of resources to produce.

The Salt Lake Tribune looked at the big picture in an editorial last week: 

As our supply from foreign sources gets more expensive and rumors float around that those dealers are running out, we're panicking, ready to trade our natural resources, even the future of the planet, for one more hit. And Utah Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett are backing the deal, right behind President Bush. They want to fast-track the development of oil from shale and tar sands before the effects of the processes on the environment can be fully evaluated. Because oil shale development uses huge amounts of water and creates tons of carbon dioxide, that fast-tracking could threaten the eastern Utah and western Colorado landscapes and Utah's precious water resources and hasten the dangers of climate change caused by greenhouse-gas emissions. Fortunately, other Western lawmakers are not in such a headlong rush to sell out. Colorado Democratic Rep. Mark Udall and Sen. Ken Salazar slowed the frenzy toward oil shale and tar sands development by convincing Congress to approve a moratorium on Bureau of Land Management rule-making needed before permits are issued. 

The paper goes on to insinuate that Hatch and Bennet are playing a dangerous game of politics, pushing for oil shale development when they know it can't possibly happen in time to ease constituents' pain at the pump now. But they want to look like they're doing something about it now. In fact, the editorial makes a harsh analogy:

Bush has no compunction about tying the fast-tracking of oil shale and tar sands development to pump prices, just as he saw the value in tying the 9/11 attack to Saddam Hussein, although he had nothing to do with it.

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