Reader comments
3 groups are suing to protect petroglyphs

It takes money to make money. And Bill Barrett should be paying for the opportunity to destroy or damage the rock art in Cottonwood canyon and elsewhere.

Someone needs to just get off their behinds and get parts of the canyon paved. Until then, I have to agree with the 9 Mile Coalition. The traffic in the canyon can only double or triple, with the number of new wells that are being proposed.

The age of the hippies is over!

There are already gas wells near the area they don't hurt anything and are much more discrete than they use to be. These groups who file suit have never lived here and most have never seen the area, they don't care about the jobs, they are fine with $10 gas. Can anyone tell me how drilling in the base of the canyon is going to hurt the rock and the art contained therein on the sides of the canyon?

Does this lawsuit sound like fun? Just wait until our government passes a sensible energy plan that allows more drilling. Lawsuits like this will run rampant.

Maybe this is why the Democrats think drilling won't help--because even if it's legal, it won't actually be allowed because of the (broken) court system.

You complain about the price of oil and gas well you needto drill wells to get it. What a bunce of brain dead idiots you are

This is why gas is $4.15 a gallon, A compromise would be to ask the gas company to help with the preservation of the artifacts.

Sanity will return when the enviromentalist leave...

This winter, when your thermostat is set at about 60 degrees because you can't afford a huge natural gas bill, maybe the fact that the rock art is being protected will make you feel warm and fuzzy and you'll forget how cold you are?! Thanks SUWA and Nine Mile Canyon Coalition for contributing to the gridlock that drives up energy prices.

Grant - this is NOT why gas is $4.15 a gallon - all first-year ecomonics students understand that - and Bill Barrett has been asked - no, they are required by law - to observe all of the regulations that are established by and for the BLM in order to maintain "the artifacts," whatever they are and wherever they are impacted. Any other relevant comments?

Back 100's of years ago, when this rock art was done, I can't help but think that some of the people thought of this as graffiti, they just didn't have "Neighborhood Graffiti Removal Parties".

Goodness, our community has a graffiti abatement program--just as soon as graffiti is discovered, it's painted over.
How old does graffiti have to be before it's considered "art". And how long before it's considered "valuable prehistoric art treasures"?
How do we tell the difference between "significant art" and graffiti?
I'm quite sure this "rock art" could be protected with the amount of money this group is spending to stir up trouble. And we could still drill for the gas.
Meanwhile, I'm going to suggest to our community that they are covering up potential historic art treasures and they better stop!

I agree with basinboy its time we let the spotted owls either survive or die on their own. We need to send the SUWA and nine mile canyon coalition to the olympics with a one way ticket

I can't help but wonder if we drain all of the dams and preserve all of these paintings will there be anyone around to give a care? It takes natural reasorces to live ... and by their standards I am an animal so I have the right to live.

I also wonder how many of these complainers ride their bikes to observe all of these treasures ... or do they just dive their carbon emitting vehicles like the rest of us.

Environmentalist are the biggest group of hypocrites ... if they were really dedicated they wouldn't use any natural resources ... then there would be more for the rest of us.

What's the definition of an environmentalist ... someone who built their cabin last year.

Dust and vibrations? Good grief. Nobody cares about dust and vibrations when it's happening outside my door. But, if it's next to 300 year old graffiti, there's going to be a lawsuit.

Rocks are just rocks in the end. If you don't want you winter heating bill to be $300 a month than let them do their jobs.

I think the company wanting the permit is Questar but if you wan to make some investments in these companies look at GSX or ROYL. They are both going to make some UT NG money.

To all you short-sighted folks. If BLM broke the law they deserve to be called on it. Also, this will have little or no impact on the price of your natural gas - get real! Once that gas comes out of the ground it's price is based on the market -we don't get a break just because it's in our backyard. Take a look at gasoline prices in Utah (20 cents above national average), and remember our gasoline sources are local too - not imported from the middle-east! I get tired of everyone who is willing to throw away our history if it'll save them a buck or two. I'll bet the majority of you are part of the "family values" crowd too. There's a wise saying I once heard "because we don't think about future generations they'll never be able to forget us".

Reading these comments is insight in to a state with a mission statement to become America's dump site of choice.

I can not believe the comments related to this article. Being raised in castle valley(proud of that), I still remember the trips up the canyon in the back of my dads truck. I remember all of the rock art and their locations. For a boy at such a young age it was an adventure. Now that I am older and have studied the canyon much more I have such a strong love for that canyon and the mysteries it contains. I remember main street Price being something. I remember all of the fun stores (woolworths, richards toggery, jacks shoes, etc.) All in the name of progress Walmart came in and like the sheep people are they rushed to support the Walton family. Main street now looks dismal. Now you want to destroy one of the most spectaculor canyons in the US, so you can light your gas fire place in the winter. Maybe if we conserved a little more we wouldn't have to destroy our national treasures. This coming from a conservative non-hippie. Kudos to Waldo Wilcox.

I saw one of my all time favorite bumper stickers on a car in Carbon County: "Environmentalists. Let the (expletives) freeze in the dark."

Don't know that will ever happen but this country must have the sense to sensibly and carefully develop our natural resources. Otherwise we're doomed to be forever held hostage by foreign energy producers.

I always thought the market price was based on two elements, supply and demand. You are leaving a big part of the equation out. Who says we will throw away history because we drill some holes in the ground. Don't worry you precious graffiti will be taken care of.