Three Companies Honored for Conservation Efforts in Northwest New Mexico
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Santa Fe, NM–The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) honored three companies with “Restore New Mexico” awards for their collaborative efforts to enhance and restore public lands in the San Juan Basin in northwest New Mexico. The annual “Restore New Mexico” Award is given to individuals, organizations, or companies who demonstrate leadership in restoring public lands to a healthy and productive condition. Since its inception in 2005, the Restore New Mexico partnerships have treated close to two million acres of impaired habitat throughout the state. As a result, the Restore New Mexico initiative has become a model for land conservation in the western United States.“BLM is pleased with participation from industry as we continue to work together towards a common goal in doing what is best for public lands,” said Jesse Juen BLM New Mexico State Director. “This is an important endeavor in restoring and sustaining public land health,” he added.The companies receiving the 2012 Restore New Mexico Awards are: XTO EnergyConocoPhillipsDevon EnergyXTO Energy is a first time recipient of the Restore New Mexico Award. They were recognized for their collaboration with the BLM Farmington Field Office in the development of a seed mix to rehabilitate about 100 difficult well locations in the San Juan Basin. The seed mixture’s intent was to mimic the ecosystem that surrounds well locations and reduce non-natives.“Environmental restoration is an important part of our operations, and the fine work of our Environmental, Health and Safety team demonstrates XTO’s commitment to collaborative efforts with agencies such as the BLM,” said Del Craddock, Senior Vice President of XTO Energy’s Western Division. “I’m extremely proud of what our employees accomplish every day through ingenuity and hard work, and am honored that XTO has received this important recognition from the federal government.”ConocoPhillips and Devon Energy are not first time recipients of the Restore New Mexico award, however, this is their first award in the San Juan Basin. Both companies were recognized for their collaboration and funding in treating noxious weeds on and near their well locations.“ConocoPhillips takes its role as a producer in the San Juan Basin very seriously. We are pleased to have worked with the Bureau of Land Management on the noxious weeds program to control invasive species. Thanks to the BLM for the leadership exhibited on programs like this,” said Heather McDaniel, Regulatory Supervisor, ConocoPhillips San Juan Basin Business Unit.“It is a core value of Devon to be a good neighbor,” said Phil Cook, Devon business unit vice president. “We are honored to partner with the BLM to have a positive influence on our environment.”
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.