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            Young is the Ranking Member on the Natural Resources Committee.

Rep. Don Young’s Statement

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for holding this hearing today and I want to thank all of the witnesses for coming.

            When it comes to hunting and fishing, I think I take a backseat to no one in this room.  And when it comes to producing energy from public lands, my State of Alaska takes a backseat to no other State, even though we’ve slipped to the second largest producer of oil behind Texas, where over 98 percent of the land is private, but the hunting is almost as good as Alaska and better than other States.

            In preparing for this hearing, I thought it would be good to take a look at just where States are regarding hunting and fishing opportunities and where they stand concerning energy development.  I was pretty surprised.

Oil & Gas Development Is Common

In States Known For Hunting & Fishing Activities

            For example, the Chairman’s State of West Virginia is noted for hunting and fishing and outdoor activities, and yet there are 49,335 producing natural gas wells.  This is all in a State of 15.4 million acres where 7.6 percent is government owned.

            In Colorado, which is over four times as big as West Virginia, there are 22, 691 natural gas wells, and  over 36 percent of the land is government owned.  That’s less than half as many wells as the Chairman’s State.

            In Alaska, which is 24 times as big as West Virginia, we only have 227 natural gas wells, though we also have 2,766 oil wells, almost as many as West Virginia.   That’s 217 times as many gas wells in West Virginia as in Alaska, and on a per-acre basis, West Virginia has 5,217 times as many gas wells as Alaska.  And my State is mostly government owned.

            Wyoming is another State that has received a lot of press about conflicts between energy development and hunting and fishing, but it only has 23,700 natural gas wells - less than half as many as West Virginia - but it’s four times as big as West Virginia and 50 percent of the State is government-owned.

            Texas is the real gem, because it has some of the best hunting to be found, and yet it has 75,000 natural gas wells.  Granted, it’s a small State - less than half the size of Alaska - but it’s still a dozen times larger than West Virginia.  That means it has fewer natural gas wells per acre than West Virginia.  And the hunting is great - just like in West Virginia. 

            In deference to the Chairman, I’ll stop with the comparisons, although I could go on with Pennsylvania and other Eastern States where there is much energy production and great hunting and fishing.

            My background as an avid sportsman and a fighter for hunting and fishing rights - as well as a strong supporter of domestic energy production and the good jobs it provides - gives me a perspective that others may not have.  I think we can do both if there is a willingness to work together to recognize that in order to get to the weekend, we have to have American jobs for workers. 

            According to the Congressional Research Service, jobs in the oil and gas industry are the second highest paying blue collar jobs in the nation, right behind mining.  I know a lot of folks in both industries who are avid hunters and fishermen and outdoorsmen who take their vocations and their avocations seriously. 

            The record shows that energy development and hunting and fishing coexist quite well in places like West Virginia, and I have no doubt that we can make it work in the rest of the country, also. 

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