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BLM Withdraws Proposed Energy Leases in Southern Colorado
The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 05/02/2008 04:45:41 PM MDT
DENVER—Federal officials are withdrawing most of the proposed oil and gas leases up for sale in a May 8th auction.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management said Friday that it will defer offering leases on 144,000 acres out of the original 175,430 acres. The parcels withdrawn are in the Rio National Grande Forest in southern Colorado.
BLM officials say the parcels could be auctioned later. They’ll go over the analysis of the sites with the Forest Service
The decision comes on the heels of a request by Rep. John Salazar and his brother, Sen. Ken Salazar, to defer consideration of the leases. Rio Grande and Saguache (suh-WAHCH’) counties and the towns of Del Norte and Crestone had raised concerns about the areas eyed for energy development.
*Salazars ask BLM to withdraw proposed energy leases*
*Associated Press – May 2, 2008 4:24 PM ET *
DENVER (AP) – Rep. John Salazar and his brother, Sen. Ken Salazar, are asking federal officials to withdraw some of the oil and gas leases up for sale in a May 8 auction.
The Democrats wrote a letter Friday to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management after Rio Grande and Saguache (suh-WAHCH’) counties and the towns of Del Norte and Crestone raised concerns.
About 140,000 acres of the 175,430 acres on the block are in the two counties. Local governments want time to review their oil and gas regulations because there hasn’t been much development in the area.
Some of the land proposed for leasing is in parts of the Rio Grande National Forest classified as roadless under a 2001 road-building ban.
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