United States Senate
United States House of Representatives

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

CONTACTS: Stephanie Valencia 202-228-3630
Eric Wortman 202-225-4761

Salazar Brothers Continue Push to Defer BLM Leasing of All Parcels on Rio Grande National Forest lands

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, in a letter to the Colorado State Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Sally Wisely, United States Senator Ken Salazar and U.S. Representative John Salazar urged the BLM to heed a request by Saguache County and the Town of Crestone to defer leasing for oil and gas exploration on three BLM parcels situated on Rio Grande National Forest lands.

Last week, Senator Salazar and Rep. Salazar wrote a letter to BLM Director Wisely urging the department to defer the May 8 leasing of eighty-seven parcels in Saguache and Rio Grande Counties to address the concerns of local communities. Soon thereafter, the BLM announced that it would defer leasing on eighty-four parcels, effectively excluding three parcels from the benefit of deferral, and thus, further analysis.

In their letter, the Salazars wrote, “Thank you for your decision to defer 84 of 87 parcels on Rio Grande National Forest lands. We continue to be contacted, however, by many concerned citizens… with concerns about the three remaining BLM parcels located near Crestone. In order to best represent our constituents, we ask you again to consider their requests for deferral of these three parcels, for ground previously mentioned in our letter to you on May 2.”

The full text of the Salazars’ letter is included below:

Sally Wisely
Colorado State Director
Bureau of Land Management
2850 Youngfield Street Lakewood, CO 80215

Re: 3 remaining Saguache County parcels in May 8th lease sale

Dear Ms. Wisely:

We greatly appreciate your consideration, and subsequent granting, of our requests for deferral of a significant number of parcels in Rio Grande and Saguache County which the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) planned to offer for oil and gas exploration in the May 8 lease sale. Thank you for your decision to defer 84 of 87 parcels on Rio Grande National Forest lands.

We continue to be contacted, however, by many concerned citizens, as well as the Saguache County Board of Commissioners and the Town of Crestone, with concerns about the three remaining BLM parcels located near Crestone. In order to best represent our constituents, we ask you again to consider their requests for deferral of these three parcels, for ground previously mentioned in our letter to you on May 2. For your convenience, we have attached our previous correspondence, as well as the formal letters we received from the Town of Crestone and Saguache County.

Thank you again, for the attention you have already given our requests, as well as any additional consideration you give prior to tomorrow's sale.

Sincerely,

John T. Salazar	Ken Salazar
Member of Congress	U.S. Senate

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