Even though planning and discussions about drilling on top of the spectacular Roan Plateau have been underway in various forms for years, the Bureau of Land Management’s recent decision to open up 70 percent of it for energy development is shortsighted.
The plan is unfairly moving forward without a chance for Colorado’s new governor, Bill Ritter, to review it and offer his input. The Department of Interior last week denied his request for an additional 120 days to evaluate the plan.
Considering the broad plans already in place for drilling on BLM lands near the Roan, there seems to be no reason to rush drilling there. Plus, the BLM’s decision has unnecessarily strained relations between Interior and the state of Colorado.
It’s time for a timeout.
Members of Colorado’s congressional delegation are calling for a one-year delay, and we think that’s appropriate to give the public, the government and oil and gas developers time to try to come up with a plan that works for everyone.
The Roan, located a few miles northwest of Rifle, is one of those places that makes Colorado special. It’s a place where Coloradans hunt, fish, hike and graze cattle. The BLM decision covers more than 73,600 acres on the top and sides of the plateau, an area treasured for its wilderness areas and energy reserves. The agency is supposed to make a decision this fall about the other 30 percent, which comprises scenic creeks and canyons.
U.S. Reps. Mark Udall and John Salazar are rushing to introduce an amendment to an Interior bill for a one-year timeout. It’s a wise move.
Udall, Salazar and Ritter are not saying that oil and gas drilling should not occur on the Roan, where a wealth of natural gas is thought to be located. The BLM says there’s enough to heat 4 million homes for 20 years. But it should be done in a way that creates the least amount of surface disturbance.
Directional drilling has been discussed as a possibility, but it costs more and can be more difficult to do. If drilling is to occur on the Roan, it needs to be done with the utmost sensitivity. That’s one of the issues that we hope can be worked out during a timeout. Another has to do with how much of the plateau should be open to development. The plateau is home to wildlife, rare plant species, and big game such as mule deer, elk, black bear and mountain lion.
In a letter Monday to Interior Secretary Dick Kempthorne, Ritter said that 98 percent of the 75,000 comments received by the BLM opposed drilling atop the Roan.
We are concerned that without a clear plan, drilling could cause serious damage to the environment, recreation and the undeveloped top of the plateau, which should be left unblemished.
