CASE STUDY
Gas and Grouse

Introduction

The objective of this case study is to investigate the various systemic, corporate and ethical issues behind Questar Corporation’s drilling operations on the Pinedale Mesa. Besides that, this case study is conducted to determine the value of wildlife species and its balance against the economic interests of Questar Corporation.

Furthermore, it is also to determine whether Questar is morally obligated to cease its operations on the mesa and whether the environmentalists have behaved ethically in this issue.

Case Summary The Pinedale Mesa extends north and south of eastern side of Wyoming’s Green River Basin, an area that is famous as the gateway to hunting, fishing and hiking. It is
The corporate issues within Questar are how the company should be able to meet the demand of the natural gas without have a problems to be sued by some environmental matters.

The first individual issue is Jim Smith a former communications directors for President George W.Bush’s Energy Task Force. He establishes a website to lobby the Bush administration to keep the grouse off the endangered species list. He also wants to unleash the grass-roots opposition to provide some political cover and suggest funding scientific studies to show that the saga grouse was not endangered.
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The second individual issue is Dru Bower, the vice president of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming He said that ‘listing (endangered species) are not good for the oil and gas industry. So, anything that we can do to prevent a species from being listed is good for the industry’.

The third individual issue is George W. Bush the former president of USA. He said that the new sources of domestic energy are key to the country economic future. He came to power seeking to unsnarl bureaucratic red tape, speed the government issuance of permits and open up as much public land as possible. Once in office, he attacked Clinton era proposals to create national monuments and tried to open 58 million acres but Clinton had closed to road building, logging and drilling.

2) How should wildlife species like grouse or deer be valued and should that value be balanced