FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   May 2, 2008

Contacts: Jim Sample, 303-239-3861; Mike Blakeman, 719-852-6212

Forest Service parcels deferred from upcoming oil and gas lease sale

Denver -- The Bureau of Land Management has deferred offering oil and gas leases for 84 parcels of U.S. Forest Service land encompassing 144,000 acres in Colorado’s San Luis Valley at the BLM’s May 8 lease sale.

"Based on information we received from the public, local governments and our own internal review, we will defer offering these Forest Service parcels until additional analysis can be completed," said BLM Colorado State Director SallyWisely.

The Forest Service determines where and under what conditions oil and gas leasing can occur on National Forest System lands. The BLM then determines whether or not National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements have been met before the BLM offers the Forest Service oil and gas leases for sale at auction. The BLM manages the nation’s publicly owned mineral estate.

The parcels to be deferred are located in the Rio Grande National Forest in Colorado’s San Luis Valley.

The BLM posts notices of upcoming oil and gas lease sales and reviews comments and protests from the public prior to the sale. Based on public input, the BLM can choose to offer the parcels, defer them for additional analysis, or offer protested parcels with a notice to lessees that the parcels are under protest.

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