WASHINGTON—The Interior Department has rejected Sen. Ken Salazar’s request to give Colorado more time to review a plan that allows gas drilling on the scenic Roan Plateau—a response the Democrat said is unacceptable.
Salazar, who already is blocking the confirmation of President Bush’s nominee to direct the Bureau of Land Management, James Caswell, said Wednesday that he will keep pushing until Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne assures him the department won’t “run roughshod” over the state’s wishes.
In a conference call with reporters, Salazar said he hopes the state and the department can avoid a long-term conflict over energy development.
The decisions the department is making now will affect the state for decades, Salazar said, but many Colorado residents feel the department isn’t listening to them.
“I think they Department of the Interior should recognize that they’re dealing here with more than the Roan Plateau,” Salazar said.
The Roan is a western Colorado landmark rich in gas and oil shale reserves and beloved for its pockets of pristine backcountry and abundant wildlife. Salazar and several other Colorado Democrats are trying to block a plan approved earlier this summer that authorized up to 1,570 new natural gas wells there.
Salazar said similar conflicts are sure to arise in other areas, since the agency manages millions of acres in the state, which is rich in oil and gas.
The latest skirmish in the ongoing conflict between Kempthorne and Salazar came in an exchange of letters.
Salazar had asked Kempthorne to reverse a BLM decision and give Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter 120 days to review the Roan decision. The senator promised he would use Senate rules to hold up Caswell’s nomination until Kempthorne did so.
Salazar also wanted a promise that Kempthorne would give the state time to review a draft plan for developing its oil shale resources.
Kempthorne wrote Salazar last week that the state still has time to comment on a second plan for areas of the Roan Plateau with critical environmental concerns—about 30 percent of the federal land.
Kempthorne also said the department will closely review comments the state has already provided about oil shale development and will continue to talk with Colorado officials before the plan is finished.
On Wednesday, Salazar issued a terse reply, repeating his requests for more time.
“I must insist on greater clarity with respect to how we move forward on the Roan Plateau and commercial oil shale development,” Salazar wrote.
A spokesman for Kempthorne said the department is reviewing Salazar’s latest letter.
Not all Colorado officials agree with Salazar. Colorado Sen. Wayne Allard, a Republican, said he thinks Kempthorne is being responsive.
Allard said Salazar should lift his hold on Caswell and allow the BLM director’s position to be filled. “I would hope we wouldn’t get involved in politics,” Allard said.
