GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.—Federal officials are offering oil and gas leases on hundreds of acres next to a national conservation area in western Colorado. They’re also considering leasing thousands more acres in the same area.
The Bureau of Land Management’s Nov. 12 auction includes a 480-acre parcel next to McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area and a nearby 320-acre parcel. The BLM has deferred action on another 11,500 acres in the same area.
Luke Schafer of the Colorado Environmental Coalition says he worries about the potential impacts of drilling on the conservation area’s air and scenic qualities.
The conservation area west of Grand Junction is named after Scott McInnis, a Republican candidate for governor and former congressman. He says he will leave it to BLM to consider the effects on the area.
———
Information from: The Daily Sentinel,
