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Local activists press county to oppose Snowy River carbon project; commissioners weigh legal questions and letters to BLM
Summary
Members of Save Our Range urged the Carter County Commission to sign a resolution and letters opposing the Snowy River CO2 sequestration project, arguing the BLM'prepared Environmental Assessment relied on now-rescinded executive/secretarial orders; commissioners asked for counsel input and directed staff to pursue copies and clarify BLM's schedule.
Representatives of a local group calling itself Save Our Range presented to the Carter County Commission on April 21 and urged the board to put a formal county resolution and supporting letters on record opposing the Snowy River carbon-sequestration project. The group said recent federal policy changes—described by speakers as the rescission of certain executive and secretarial orders—undermine the legal basis for the Bureau of Land Management's Environmental Assessment (EA) in the project record.
Save Our Range attendees described meetings in Washington, D.C., with congressional staffers and urged the county to provide a standalone document (a letter or resolution) to bolster local credibility in federal discussions. Commissioners acknowledged the request, discussed timing and the need for "meat on the potatoes" (detailed legal and procedural documentation), and asked legal counsel (retained consultant listed in transcript as Nathan) to help craft any resolution or protest letter that would flag specific procedural violations by the BLM and specify the county's requested remedies.
Speakers also raised local environmental concerns including noxious-weed spread (Ventennata) and the possibility that construction or pipeline activity associated with the project could change land use or limit future resource development. Commissioners suggested several next steps: obtain copies of prior letters and the cooperative-agreement draft, request a formal meeting with BLM staff (the transcript records scheduling difficulties and pauses), and prepare an evidence-backed letter or resolution for possible signature at a future meeting.
What commissioners and residents can expect next: staff indicated they would circulate the draft letter and cooperative-agreement paperwork (one signed letter from Feb. 10, 2025, was noted as already on file) and attempt to schedule the requested BLM meeting. The commissioners said they want counsel to help ensure any county resolution is legally defensible and addresses the procedural claims raised in the presentation.
Representative quote: "The project as a whole has been called into question...their environmental work on Snowy River up to this point is null and void due to the secretarial orders and executive orders," said an attendee summarizing the group's legal position (paraphrased from meeting remarks).
