BY BRIAN MAFFLY
Energy developers are seeking to drill three exploratory wells inside the proposed Bears Ears National Monument in search of hydrocarbon riches on both state and federal lands a few miles northeast of Bluff.
Conservationists and local leaders fear drilling could imperil the town's water and scenic vistas and industrialize an area some say should be preserved for its geological and archaeological treasures.
"We as a community have a great deal of concerns," said Bluff shop owner Steve Simpson, who traveled to Washington, D.C., with local conservationist Josh Ewing to meet with Obama administration officials last week. "The obvious concerns are water first. It's in our recharge area. The technology used today is such that it is safe, but the technology is driven by humans and humans can err. We simply cannot afford a mistake because we don't have an alternative water source."
Much of the land north and east of Bluff, the tiny historic town on the San Juan River, has been leased for energy development, but most of the drilling here occurred years ago and resulted in dry holes, although there have been a few producing wells...