Colorado can save the Roan Plateau...but we need to act now!

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The announcement today by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management that it will plow ahead with its plans to drill the last scenic lands of the Roan Plateau, demonstrates bad faith in working with the region's elected officials, and stands contrary to public sentiment, the Save Roan Plateau Campaign said in a statement today.  The coalition of conservationists, sportsmen and local elected officials called on Colorado's governor and Congressional delegation to introduce legislation to protect the Roan's important wildlife habitat and watersheds before the government moves to lease these lands this summer. 

"Once again Colorado's interests are being ignored by the BLM.  The majority of the public don't want to see any more of the Roan's public lands sacrificed to energy development," said Michael Hassig, Mayor of Carbondale. "The Governor's proposal was modest and the BLMs decision not to honor those recommendations is disappointing. As recent news of major oil and gas waste pit spills on the Roan show, there are no 100% safe drilling projects. That's why it's critical that Colorado leaders continue to demand more protections for the Roan Plateau."

Today, BLM officials announced that they have rejected Governor Ritter's request to reopen their Roan decision to expand protected areas for wildlife and watersheds.  The campaign called on the governor and Senator Salazar to quickly pursue legislation for full and lasting protection for Roan Plateau. 

With industry sitting on a massive stockpile of drilling opportunities across western Colorado and new permits on pace to set a record for a seventh straight year, there is simply no reason to rush gas leasing on the Roan Plateau, the coalition said. This rush to lease is being driven by a false crisis atmosphere created by industry extremists who believe their interests are more important than the needs of Colorado.
 
Meanwhile, directional drilling technology is continually improving. Technology will already allow industry to access almost all the gas under the Roan without damaging the plateau's sensitive ridges and risking rare cutthroat trout populations with chemical spills.

Despite its small size, the Roan Plateau is extremely species-rich. Only three areas of similar size in Colorado contain such a wealth of rare species, with the Roan as the only one of the four that does not enjoy protective status. Local government officials and tens of thousands of citizens, and hunting, fishing, and conservation groups across the state have long urged that the Roan Plateau be protected, and have overwhelmingly supported its management for other public uses besides energy development.

The Campaign emphasized the balanced solution lies in keeping these lands as they are today—for the wildlife that thrive there, for the clean waters the lands protect, and for future generations that will hopefully still find western Colorado among the greatest places on earth, even after the drill rigs and crews are long gone. 

"New Mexico protected the Valle Vidal, Montana protected the Rocky Mountain Front and Wyoming is fighting hard to protect the Wyoming Range," said Bill Dvorak with the Colorado Rivers Outfitters Association.   "Colorado expects the same type of leadership from our elected officials. Other states have defeated irresponsible drilling plans, and now it's time for Colorado to do the same."

Near the city of Rifle, the Roan Plateau towers more than 3,000 feet above the Colorado River valley below. The Roan is a unique landscape cherished by Coloradans, where locals and visitors have been camping, hunting, hiking and ranching for generations.  But the Roan Plateau is a landscape in peril.  Oil and gas companies have long had their sites on these public lands.

Large volumes of natural gas exist throughout the region, knows as the Piceance (PEE-ance) Basin, one of North America's most prolific gas fields.  Already more than 90% of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in the area are leased or available for energy development, and oil and gas companies operating in the region have acknowledged that they have a decade's worth of drilling sites.  There is no need to rush into leasing these few remaining, and critically important, undeveloped public lands.  Approved drilling permits have increased exponentially in the past several years all around and even on the private land within the Planning Area, with 2007 setting another all time record for drilling permits in Colorado.  In Garfield County alone, over 2,500 gas wells permitted last year.  Unfortunately, rather than priortize the multiple traditional uses of the Roan Plateau, the proposed plan for the region would turn much of these popular public lands into an industrial zone.

Athough the Roan Plateau Planning Area is just about 1% of the public lands in the Piceance, the Roan Plateau itself is recognized as a “biological hotspot” for its unusual diversity of important species, and as a backcountry paradise for its unique recreational opportunities. Home to pure strains of native trout, rare plants, wildlife and raptors, old-growth Douglas fir, waterfalls and box canyons, the Roan Plateau is an oasis that offers unique public and natural resources…all surrounded by one of America’s fastest growing natural gas fields.

© 2007, Ecoflight

Colorado can maintain its treasured landscapes and outdoor lifestyles while still contributing to meeting the nation’s energy needs without turning our public lands into a sacrifice zone. Together we can ensure that some of our most important public lands will remain as they are today for ourselves, our economy, and for future generations to enjoy.