Robert Smithson, Spiral Jetty, 1970. Long-term installation in Rozel Point, Box Elder County, Utah. (Gianfranco Gorgoni, Collection Dia Art Foundation)

The Spiral Jetty, a masterpiece of modern art, is facing the prospect of some new, less artistic neighbors.

Canada-based Pearl Montana Exploration and Production has applied for a permit to conduct off-shore oil exploration in the Great Salt Lake less than five miles from the jetty, created in 1970 by artist Robert Smithson.

The 1,500-foot earthwork of basalt rock, now covered in white salt crystals, juts into the lake's pinkish water, offering visitors a wide view of the empty, mostly desolate landscape. According to fans of the work, any interruption of that view would detract from the meaning of the art.

"The sculpture itself is an integral part of the landscape," says Laura Raicovich, deputy director of New York-based Dia Art Foundation, which owns the jetty.

The state of Utah stopped issuing mineral exploration leases on Great Salt Lake two years ago, pending a review of the lake's general management plan. But the agreement with environmental groups did not invalidate prior leases. In January, Pearl asked the state to approve its plan for exploratory drilling at two sites. The Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining will determine whether or not the plan meets the necessary criteria for the permit.

"We do want to be very careful with this. We understand the interest, " says Jim Springer, a spokesperson for the division. He says that although the project's impact on the jetty will be considered, "that may not be sufficient criteria to deny the permit."

Springer compares the process to getting a driver's license: the Department of Motor Vehicles is more or less obligated to issue a license to anyone who meets all the requirements and passes the test. "The division is in pretty much the same position," he says.

Though the review process usually takes about a month, Springer says that the division is proceeding slowly to give due consideration to public opinion. During the public comment period, the state received more than 3,500 letters, many of them concerning the jetty.

"The National Trust for Historic Preservation believes that Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty on the Great Salt Lake is a significant cultural site from the recent past, merging art, the environment, and the landscape," National Trust for Historic Preservation President Richard Moe said in a statement earlier this month. "We are deeply concerned about the potential harm that energy development could bring to the Spiral Jetty."

Springer says that the state will make a final decision on the permit this spring.

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