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Agency Releases Final Supplement EIS Carrying Forward Landmark Settlement Agreement That Balanced Resource Protection and Ongoing Oil & Gas Development

SILT, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today released the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and Proposed Plan Amendment (Proposed Plan) for the Roan Plateau. The SEIS and Proposed Plan address the longstanding issues surrounding oil and gas development and resource management on and around the Plateau.  They also address concerns raised in a 2012 judicial decision and the landmark 2014 settlement agreement that resolved that litigation.  

“The release of the Final EIS puts us one step closer to finally resolving the controversy surrounding the Roan Plateau,” said BLM Director Neil Kornze. “It implements the vision put forward in 2014 by a group of local, state and industry leaders, as well as sportsmen and conservationists, by protecting some of Colorado’s most important fish and wildlife habitat while also allowing for the responsible development of the oil and gas resources in the areas where it makes the most sense.”

The Roan Plateau is considered one of Colorado’s most ecologically diverse landscapes. It is a popular destination for hunting, fishing and backcountry recreation. The dramatic topography of the plateau is known for its spectacular cliffs, waterfalls and box canyons, as well as the array of game and sensitive species found there.  Originally set aside as Naval Oil Shale Reserves #1 and #3 in the 1910s, the Roan Plateau was transferred to the BLM in 1997 from the Department of Energy with directions to lease the area for oil and gas development as soon as practicable, while protecting the wildlife, water, and other natural resources. The transferred lands totaled 56,238 acres and the legislation required that the 12,029-acre area below the rim, which already contained wells, be leased within a year. 

“The release of the Final SEIS represents the penultimate step in the BLM’s fulfillment of its commitments under the Roan settlement,” said Colorado State Director Ruth Welch. “We are looking forward to achieving a final resolution of this important project.”

Under the BLM’s Proposed Plan, the area atop the plateau where 17 oil and gas leases were canceled as part of the 2014 settlement would be closed to leasing.  As for the two leases on top and 12 below the rim that were retained under the settlement, those areas would remain open to leasing and development subject to the terms and conditions of those leases and the new stipulations identified in the SEIS. 

The Final SEIS was prepared based on the more than 50,000 public comments received on the Draft SEIS.  The vast majority of those comments urged the BLM to follow the 2014 settlement.

The Final SEIS is available online at www.blm.gov/co/crvfo. The publication of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Notice of Availability for the Final SEIS on July 1, 2016, will start a 30-day protest period and a Governor’s consistency review period. All protests must be in writing and mailed to one of the following addresses:

Regular Mail:                                           Overnight Delivery:
BLM Director (210)                                 BLM Director (210)
Attention:  Protest Coordinator                Attention:  Protest Coordinator
P.O. Box 71383                                      20 M Street SE, Room 2134LM
Washington, D.C.  20024-1383               Washington, D.C.  20003

Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time.  While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.