Problem
Case Study: Gas or Grouse?
A. What are the systemic, corporate, and individual issues raised in this case?
B. How should wildlife species such as grouse or deer be valued, and how should that value be balanced against the economic interests of a society or of a company like Questar? What principles or rules would you propose we use to balance the value of wildlife species against economic interests?
C. In light of the fact that natural gas reduces the United States' undesirable dependence on foreign oil and the fact that natural gas produces less greenhouse gases than coal, oil, and other fuels, should Questar have continued its drilling operations? Should QEP Resources now stop its operations? Does the environmental impact of Questar's and QEP Resources's drilling operations imply that they were and are morally obligated to stop drilling wells on the Pinedale Mesa? Explain.
D. What, if anything, should QEP Resources and the other companies drilling on the Pinedale Mesa be doing differently?
E. From an ethical point of view, was alternative 4 the best option among those from which the BLM chose? Is another alternative better from an ethical point of view? Explain your answer.
F. Should the loss of species produced by the drilling operations of Questar and its successor be considered a problem of pollution or a problem of conservation? Can the loss of species be evaluated as an "external cost"? Explain.
G. Was it ethical for the energy companies to lobby government as they did?