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Colo. officials decry BLM decision on Roan drilling |
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Written by KATIE HOWELL, Greenwire
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The Bureau of Land Management decided yesterday to stand by its original plans for allowing natural gas drilling on Colorado's Roan Plateau, drawing the ire of the state's Democratic governor and lawmakers.
BLM had encouraged input on the drilling plan from Colorado residents and policymakers in recent months, but state officials said the agency incorporated few of their recommendations in the final decision.
"Their decision is irresponsible and shortsighted because it disregards the state of Colorado's proposal in favor of their original plan," said Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) in a statement.
Gov. Bill Ritter (D) expressed support last year for drilling on the Roan Plateau -- which could contain 8.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas -- but only if the federal plan included more stringent environmental regulations and boosted the state's share of income from lease sales. None of his major proposals made the cut.
"I strongly disagree with and am disappointed in the department's decision not to pursue phased leasing and not to expand areas that would be off-limits to energy development on the Roan Plateau," Ritter said in a statement.
Interior Department officials who oversee BLM maintain they heeded Ritter's recommendations.
"We have been able to meet essentially all of the goals that the governor set forth with the exception of leasing," Interior Assistant Secretary Stephen Allred told reporters yesterday. Areas put off-limits to drilling in the plan are "for all practical purposes, identical to what the state had desired," he said.
The agency strayed from state recommendations in some key areas. For example, BLM designated 38,470 acres of "no surface occupation," including 21,034 acres labeled "areas of critical environmental concern." Ritter had requested expanding areas of critical concern to 36,184 acres.
And BLM opted not to use phased leases that the state had requested. Instead, the agency will lease all the areas on the plateau at once -- possibly as early as August -- and then require lease holders to enter into a federal unit in which BLM could control development timing and placement.
But the BLM plan will allow drilling and development on just 1 percent, or about 350 acres, of agency land at any time, as the state had suggested.
The plan pleased oil and gas interests. "This decision will be good for consumers across the country and the residents of Colorado," said Marc Smith, executive director of the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States.
Two U.S. House Democrats from Colorado decried the decision and vowed to pursue a legislative remedy."The administration's decision leads me to question whether or not granting the additional time for comments was just a charade," Rep. Mark Udall said.
Udall and Rep. John Salazar say they still plan to propose legislation to protect and preserve the Roan Plateau when Congress returns from its spring recess next month
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 18 March 2008 )
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