Abstract

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

The article focuses on political attitudes among ranchers, hunters and property owners in the Western United States regarding President George W. Bush. Oil and gas activity generates millions of dollars in profits for companies like Burlington and British Petroleum--and may be reshaping the politics of the Rocky Mountain West in ways that will reverberate in the presidential election of 2004. At the heart of the controversy lies a drilling method known as coal-bed methane extraction. The Bush Administration has called for removing all "restrictions and impediments" on domestic development, code language for opening dozens of pristine natural habitats to unfettered leasing. Just how politically sensitive this issue is in the West became evident in Wyoming, where Democrat Dave Freudenthal defeated Republican Eli Bebout, an oil and gas developer, in part by vowing to balance energy interests with the rights of landowners. The rising frustration among ranchers and farmers, who increasingly view the Bush Administration as the handmaiden of oil and gas interests, presents an opportunity for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry: to outline an energy policy that will balance oil and gas development with their interests.