Rep. Diana DeGette has introduced a proposal that would designate 850,000 acres in Colorado as federal wilderness, but it doesn’t include land on the Roan Plateau.
The Colorado Democrat had released a draft bill in October that included 40,000 acres on the scenic plateau, much of which has been leased for oil and gas development.
DeGette spokesman Kristofer Eisenla says DeGette removed the plateau from the proposal she introduced Friday because she didn’t want to influence settlement talks involving conservationists who have sued to block drilling on the Roan.
DeGette’s proposal would designate 34 separate Colorado sites as federal wilderness that would be off-limits to certain activities, including drilling and motorized vehicles. The Denver Post
