BLM nixes phased Roan leasing

RIFLE, Colorado — Natural gas lease sales for federal minerals underneath the Roan Plateau could come as soon as late this summer following a Bureau of Land Management decision announced Thursday.

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, Democrats from Colorado’s Congressional delegation and area environmentalists, however, were disappointed in the BLM’s second management decision for the Roan Plateau, with some saying the agency flatly rejected the governor’s proposals for drilling in the area.

Almost immediately after the BLM announcement, Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., said he would introduce legislation that “will protect the unique landscape, wildlife and communities” of the Roan Plateau, which is northwest of Rifle.

Common criticisms of the BLM’s second Record of Decision for the controversial area were that it did not increase the acreage for areas of critical environmental concern

(ACECs), and that the agency will not pursue phased leasing in the area.

In December, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources wrote a letter to the

BLM asking that ACEC acreage be bumped up to 36,184 acres from 21,034 acres, a

position the governor supported.

However, the BLM plan announced Thursday kept the acreage for ACECs at 21,034

acres.

The BLM plan for the Roan Plateau designates 38,470 acres as having a

no-surface-occupancy stipulation, which means gas companies would have to

directionally drill from other areas to extract the natural gas to

minimize surface disturbances. However, the BLM can make an exception to the NSO stipulation.

Other protections for the Roan, according to the agency, include spacing well pads at least 1/2 mile apart, with “development to be constrained on existing roads and

ridges on top of the plateau.”

The decision also limits surface disturbance on top of the plateau to 350 acres at any

time. The BLM said that phased approach to development encourages innovation in

minimizing disturbance and reclaiming disturbed areas.

“We are confident that we can have very restricted and limited mineral development

in this area, as well as provide critical protections for fish and wildlife habitat, plants,

special places, view sheds and recreation while producing energy important to

America,” said Stephen Allred, U.S. Department of Interior assistant secretary for land

and minerals management.

A chance for the governor to weigh in

Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., requested that the U.S. Department of the Interior give Ritter 120 days to review the BLM’s first Record of Decision, which allowed oil and gas leasing on the top of the plateau. That decision came in June of last year.

In December, Ritter returned with several proposals, which included increased protection of sensitive areas, more use of technology to minimize environmental

disturbances and incremental leasing of federal lands.

The current federal plan for the Roan calls for all leasing to come at once — rather

than phased leasing, a position that Ritter had proposed. However, oil and gas

development of the area would be phased, according to the agency.

“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. “We proposed a uniquely Colorado

solution that struck a good balance and would benefit our economy, communities

and energy industry, while minimizing the impact to our environment.”

Ritter said the BLM decision “is not an end by any measure.”

“We will now quickly begin discussions with Sen. Ken Salazar, Sen. Wayne Allard,

Rep. Mark Udall, Rep. John Salazar and the rest of our Congressional delegation

about possible legislative alternatives,” Ritter said.

Allred said the BLM plan has “essentially been able to meet all of the goals (Ritter)

set forth, with the exception of (phased leasing).” One of the obstacles to phased

leasing is whether federal law will allow the BLM to consider that approach, Allred

said.

Roan remains controversial

The future of the Roan Plateau has set off a wave of criticism between energy and environmental groups over how much money Colorado can receive from gas leases and royalties there, and how much natural gas is actually beneath the area.

An estimated nine trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas is under federal lands

in the Roan area, and it is estimated that federal revenue from oil and gas royalties

and gas sales could generate about $857 million to $1.13 billion, according to the

BLM. Colorado would receive an estimated $428 to $565 million of money generated

from oil and gas extraction on the Roan.

The BLM decision is equivalent to the agency giving Colorado a $1 billion winning

lottery ticket, said Greg Schnacke, president and CEO of Americans for American

Energy, a Golden-based energy organization that favors opening up the Roan

Plateau to oil and gas development.

“The question now is, will Gov. Bill Ritter let the state cash in?” Schnacke said.

Clare Bastable, conservation director for the Colorado Mountain Club, echoed the

concerns of some other environmental organizations by saying that the “BLM is not

serving Colorado’s interests.”

“The BLM has come back and said no to the requests of the state of Colorado local

elected officials, to sportsmen, to conservation groups, to congressional

representatives, to our governor,” Bastable said. “Everybody has been on the same

page saying that this landscape needs to be protected. Now it is the time for our congressional delegation to get bold and protect the Roan.”

With the completion of its second record of decision, the BLM will begin preparing for

a lease sale later this year. Additional planning and environmental analysis “will be

required before development on leases could occur,” the agency said.

Contact Phillip Yates: 384-9117or pyates@postindependent.com

Some reactions to the Bureau of Land Management decision U.S. Rep. Diana Degette, D-Denver: “I strongly oppose the decision by the Department of Interior to move forward with their plan of drilling the top of the Roan Plateau. The Bush Administration has been solely focused on drilling while refusing to protect wilderness areas on our public land.” Ken Neubecker, a Carbondale resident and vice president of Colorado Trout Unlimited: “In 2003, the BLM has acknowledged in its review of environmentally critical areas on the Roan Plateau that Colorado River cutthroats need watershed scale protection, but now the agency is unwilling to provide the full level of protection that these rare trout warrant.” Jamie Connell, the BLM’s Glenwood Springs field manager: The current plan reflects important input from the state of Colorado received throughout the process. We look forward to working with our colleagues in state and local government in the implementation phase of this plan to ensure responsible, environmentally sensitive management of the Roan Plateau.” Suzanne O’Neill, executive director of the Colorado Wildlife Federation: “(Colo. Gov. Bill) Ritter outlined a thoughtful compromise proposal in December. Almost three months later, the BLM brushes aside the governor’s request and simply announces that it is sticking with its own unacceptable plan.” Meg Collins, president of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association: “The Roan Plateau holds vast resources of clean-burning natural gas that is needed to warm our homes, heat our water, cook our food and sustain and drive our economy. “We take seriously the important role our industry plays in providing secure, stable and affordable energy supplies for people in Colorado and the country. We’re also proud of the incredible developments we’ve made in energy research — exploration and technology that allow us to enhance protection of people, wildlife and the environment especially in special places like the Roan Plateau. We look forward to reviewing the BLM’s announcement in more detail.”