U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

Friday, December 21, 2007

CONTACT:Stephanie Valencia – 202-228-3630
Cody Wertz 303-350-0032

Sen. Salazar to Push for Protections on Any Development on Roan Plateau

DENVER, CO - Today, United States Senator Ken Salazar commented on the proposed development on the Roan Plateau and responded to the State of Colorado and the Bureau of Land Management joint statement announcing further negotiations over a plan to lease for natural gas development the Roan Plateau, 67,000 acres of public lands in northwestern Colorado.

“I appreciate the Governor for setting forth achievable goals with respect to development on and around the Roan Plateau and for his determination to seek a Colorado solution on the Roan. I am glad that the 120 day review period offered the State an opportunity to review the BLM’s proposal and offer substantive recommendations and concerns. It is an important step for the BLM and the State of Colorado to have a cooperative relationship on how to proceed with the future of the Roan.

“There are key critical concerns that were raised by the Colorado Department of Natural Resources in their letter to the BLM and those need to be addressed. For example, in the letter from Executive Director Harris Sherman, he says:

The Department’s 2005 proposal to BLM for management of the Roan was predicated upon protecting these ecological and biological resources through designation of 36,184 acres of ACESs with corresponding NSO stipulations….Though the BLM Plan acknowledges the important resource values in these ACESs, it inexplicably and dramatically decreases them in size from 36,184 acres to just 21,034 acres…In this way, the BLM reduced by about 25 square miles the area deemed necessary to protect the visual resources, aesthetic values, wildlife habitat, botanical values, ecological values, and fisheries habitat of the Roan Plateau.

“I will push through executive and legislative action that these concerns be addressed. There must be no surface occupancy stipulations in these areas to protect these ecological values. I hope Secretary Kempthorne and the BLM honor their commitment to work cooperatively with the State to craft such a solution. To that end, I intend to work with Secretary Kempthorne, the Department of Interior urging the BLM’s cooperation in those efforts. I also will pursue putting these protections into law.

“Additionally, I am working on legislation to ensure that Colorado receives its fair share of money in the Anvil Points Restoration Trust Fund. It is my hope that these funds can be used to address the conservation of wildlife habitat in western Colorado and the impacts from the major energy boom that is underway.”

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