The federal Bureau of Land Management said Wednesday that it will defer the controversial sale of 30,000 acres of oil and gas leases in Colorado’s North Fork Valley.
The proposed sale at an auction set for August sparked protests in the Delta County valley, which has growing activity in organic farming and winemaking.
The bureau conducted an environmental assessment of the proposed sale, which noted there could be some adverse impacts to other economic activities, such as farming and recreation.
“BLM has opted to conduct additional analysis of the proposed lease parcels based on public input,” the agency said in a statement.
“There is no further information at this time,” BLM spokeswoman Shannon Borders said.
“We are glad BLM did the right thing and taking notice of what people are saying,” said Pete Kolbenschlag, one of the Paonia-based activists opposing the leases.
Brent Helleckson, owner of the Stone Cottage Cellars winery, said, “This at least buys us some time, but I think we still have to be vigilant.”
Helleckson and Kolbenschlag were part of a North Fork delegation that pleaded the valley’s case in Washington, D.C., last month with BLM top officials, representatives of the Council on Environmental Quality, and the Colorado congressional delegation.
Mark Jaffe: 303-954-1912 or mjaffe@denverpost.com
