Drilling for Oil by the Spiral Jetty?
A request has been filed to permit oil drilling in the Great Salt Lake four miles from the Robert Smithson's earthwork, the Spiral Jetty. The proposed exploratory drilling, subsequent infrastructure, and staging area would all be be visible from the Jetty.
The State has not yet made a decision on this application. Jonathan Jemming, Director of the Resource Development Coordinating Committee, is gathering input from the public and various state agencies about the application. The initial deadline for public imput was January 30th. Due to a flurry of emails and voicemails on the 30th, the deadline has been extended and Jemming will be taking comments from the public until Feb. 13, 2008. He can be reached at:
Jonathan Jemming 801-537-9023
jjemming@utah.gov
Application No. 8853
The permit request, along with maps showing the location of the drilling can be found at: http://governor.utah.gov/rdcc/Y2008/08-8853.pdf
(this is a very large -- 6mb -- pdf file so may take time to load)
What do you think about the proposal?
Comments
I've watched the levels of Spiral Jetty since 1995 - levels of water, levels of activity, levels of interest. It's been a few years (during our drought, concurrent with the national Smithson retrospective) since I've seen such interest in our earthwork.
The proposal to drill for oil a few miles from Spiral Jetty has caused an international furor and directed attention our way. Many organizations have asked their members to protest drilling anywhere near Spiral Jetty. Dia Art Foundation, owning body of the work, is looking into historic preservation status; FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake are tracking progress on the actual proposal; and just this morning, the National Trust for Historic Preservation began looking into the situation and may ask their members to protest the drilling proposal.
Drilling for oil near Spiral Jetty's site isn't new: there has been exploration going on at Rozel Point since the early twentieth century. When Spiral Jetty was created, it was situated next to an oil jetty, more to add to the feel of the "entropic landscape" Smithson so loved.
While I am one of many who have already voiced my concern about this current proposal to drill for oil near Spiral Jetty, I am also aware that others may find the notion of adding oil drilling near Rozel Point a romantic notion. As we approach the State's decision mid-month, I'll keep watching the levels and the reality of what this would mean to Spiral Jetty and to Rozel Point.
Posted by: Hikmet | February 1, 2008 02:57 PM