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BLM plows ahead with drilling plans in Colorado

Posted at 5:10 PM on 14 Mar 2008

The Bureau of Land Management, having already made the unpopular decision to drill for oil and gas on Colorado's Roan Plateau, has politely declined Gov. Bill Ritter's suggestion that it at least explore in phases or avoid certain environmentally sensitive areas. "There are some areas where we cannot meet the desires of the state of Colorado, specifically with regard to leasing," says the BLM's Stephen Allred. Colorado politicians vowed a fight. "I will not let them turn Colorado's West Slope into a sacrificial zone for unimpeded oil and gas development," said Representative John Salazar. Unless he's successful, the plateau will come under drills as early as this summer.

sources: The Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, Post Independent, Denver Business Journal, The Daily Sentinel

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Comments: (5 comments)

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Look In The Mirror

Everyone who drives and/or uses natural gas, which is almost everyone in the U.S., is partially responsible for things like this due to consumption of oil and gas. Those who support this drilling have a valid point: people in this society consume oil and gas for transportation, heating, cooking, and many other things, so oil and gas should be extracted wherever they're available.

This situation is a perfect example of why voting with one's pocketbook -- which in this case choosing whether to consume oil and/or gas -- is far more important than voting at the polls. What's needed is a new outlook on life that provides a high respect for the natural world and thus far less consumption.

by Wolverine at 10:03 AM on 15 Mar 2008

Buy It

You don't like that idea?

Then send your retirement money to The Nature Conservancy and have them buy the Roan Plateau.

See, why is that so hard?

Obama receives news about McCain VP pic

by jabailo at 2:13 PM on 15 Mar 2008

One Dollar One Vote

John Bailo's solution is a perfect example of one of the main things wrong with how decisions are made. Only those wealthy enough, which is a very small percentage of the population, could possibly afford to buy this hugely expensive amount of land. Notice that the Republican administration said that it would ignore "the desires of the state of Colorado." What happened to the states' rights the Republicans were supposed to stand for? Oh, yeah, that only applies when it's politically convenient, just like the other right wing/conservative lie, "judicial activism."

Even if John's idea were viable, unless one purchased the mineral rights, which are likely even more expensive than the surface land, they could still drill and destroy the land. We've got some really screwed up laws that prioritize all the wrong things and allow, or even sometimes require, destruction of the natural world. These prioirities, ultimately, are what need to change.

by Wolverine at 11:59 AM on 16 Mar 2008

Broadwalk or Mediterranean

Only those wealthy enough, which is a very small percentage of the population, could possibly afford to buy this hugely expensive amount of land.

Is that a criticism of the system or your inability to participate in it? Ted Turner bought the entire eastern part of Montana. He "preserves" it. No one is going to built smelly oil rigs in his backyard.

So, collectively, since 12% of the earth (according to Orion magazine) is under the ownership of these preserves, they should be able to add this plateau effortlessly.

Obama receives news about McCain VP pic

by jabailo at 1:12 PM on 16 Mar 2008
[ Parent ]

Ready to Roan

Hi Manhattan Declaration...The public ALREADY owns the plateau. But the public is NOT being able to manage the plateau as the public desires since 98% of all public input has stated there should be no drilling on the plateau. If the plateau had been meant for development, the Department of Energy would NOT have had its control of the plateau placed in the hands of the BLM by an Act of Congress in 1997 under a Democratic adminstration. It has taken all these years for the Republican Bush adminstration in the face of such development opposition to manipulate the BLM to the point of developing the plateau. Now in the waning days of the Bush rule, push politics is telling the public to stuff it.

Now Manhattan Declaration...stuff your money ideas. The land is the public's to operate as the public desires. An Act of Congress took the plateau away from DOE. The end of the Bush administration will return the Roan plateau to the public once & for all.

Your future is not determined by your past

by litesong at 11:58 PM on 17 Mar 2008

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