BLM releases Colorado River Valley Resource Management Plan
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SILT, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management today released the Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Colorado River Valley Field Office in northwestern Colorado that balances continued oil and gas development and other resource use with protection of sensitive resources.
The plan will provide a framework to guide subsequent management decisions on 505,200 surface acres and 707,200 acres of subsurface mineral estate administered by the BLM’s Colorado River Valley Field Office in Eagle, Garfield, Mesa, Pitkin, Rio Blanco and Routt counties for approximately the next two decades.
“The extensive involvement from the public as well as our local, state and federal cooperating agencies for the past six years has been critical to developing this Resource Management Plan,” said Steve Bennett, Field Manager for the Colorado River Valley Field Office. “We have developed a plan that balances protection of sensitive resources with resource use.”
The Proposed RMP is based largely on the Preferred Alternative presented in the Draft EIS released for public comment in September 2011, but it includes elements of other alternatives analyzed in that Draft.
Key decisions in the Proposed RMP include designating approximately 675 miles of routes for motorized use and 587 miles for non-motorized use,managing five areas totaling 34,400 acres to protect existing wilderness characteristics, including Thompson Creek and Deep Creek; and recommending Wild and Scenic River designation for the two BLM segments of Deep Creek.
The majority of the 147,500 acres with high potential for oil and natural gas production within the Colorado River Valley Field Office are already leased and, under the Proposed RMP, will continue producing. The 98,100 acres closed to future oil and gas leasing in the Proposed RMP include State Wildlife Areas, areas managed for wilderness characteristics, municipal boundaries, suitable Deep Creek Wild and Scenic River segments and other designated recreation areas or areas of critical environmental concern.
The Proposed RMP is now available for a 30-day public protest period from the date the Notice of Availability is published in the Federal Register, which ends May 5, 2014. Information about the protest period is available at http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Programs/land_use_planning/rmp/kfo-gsfo.html or by calling the Colorado River Valley Field Office at (970) 876-9000. The BLM has also sent the Proposed RMP to the Governor’s Office for a 60-day consistency review.
The BLM will issue a Record of Decision detailing the final decisions in the RMP after the consistency review and resolution of any protests.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.