Proposed oil development at Spiral Jetty
by Allen ~ January 30th, 2008. Filed under: Public Art.Tyler Green at Modern Art Notes posted a notice and request for action today forwarded to him regarding proposed energy development around Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty in the Great Salt Lake. It appears the idea is to pump oil from the area surrounding the Jetty, though no specific site has been stated and I couldn’t find the specific threats Green mentions. As this is a request for public comment I imagine the area in question is the entire lease site and not one or two specific locations around the jetty (I could be wrong about that, but I’m not seeing specifics). Now I’m all for preservation and conservation, but this line raised my hackles:
I have been told by Lynn that the oil wells will not be above the water, but that means some kind of industrial complex of pipes and pumps beneath the water and on the shore. The operation would require roads for oil tank trucks, cranes, pumps etc. which produce noise and will severely alter the wild, natural place. (emphasis mine)
First of all we’re not talking about a natural feature. The Spiral Jetty is a 1500-foot long and 15-foot wide counterclockwise coil jutting from the shore of the lake constructed of of mud, salt crystals, basalt rocks, and dirt. The Jetty was constructed over the course of six days. The site was chosen because of the red hue of the water that resulted from the high salinity of the northern arm of the lake. The high salinity resulted from the Lucin Cutoff, a railroad causeway built in the 50’s, that prevented the mixing of waters leading to higher salinities in the northern end of the lake. There are already roads (crude roads) in place and visitors to the jetty aren’t really aiding the preservation of the area. Take a gander at this description from directions to the jetty:
If you choose to continue sought(?) for another 2.3 miles, and around the east side of Rozel Point, you will see the Lake and a jetty (not the Spiral Jetty) left by oil drilling exploration in the 1950’s. As you approach the Lake, you will see an abandoned, pink and white trailer (mostly white), an old army amphibious landing craft, an old Dodge truck…and other assorted trash.
The trailer is the key to finding the road tot he Spiral Jetty. As you drive slowly past the trailer, turn immediately to the west, passing on the south side of the Dodge, and onto the two-track trail that contours above the oil-drilling debris below.
The area isn’t what is implied by “wild” and “natural.” This sounds more to me like the jetty is being used as a straw man to prevent further oil development. There are all kinds of reasons for and against oil development and exploration, and that’s not what this post is about, but let’s not misrepresent reality.
January 30th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
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