DENVER—Colorado lawmakers say a bill introduced in Congress this week would bar energy companies from drilling wells on federal land atop the Roan Plateau.
Federal land managers have proposed up to 210 natural gas wells from 13 sites on top of the plateau, a western Colorado landmark.
The plan is controversial because the Roan is prized for its abundant wildlife and pockets of pristine backcountry as well as its energy reserves.
Colorado Democratic Congressmen John Salazar and Mark Udall said Tuesday that language in the Energy Independence Act would bar the Bureau of Land Management from allowing companies to drill on the agency’s land on the plateau top.
The bill was introduced in the U.S. House late Monday and is expected to be debated on Friday.
