Protest Lodged on Planned Sale of Oil, Gas Leases
By Tammy Alhadef, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.
Feb. 1–TRINIDAD — The Colorado Wildlife Federation is protesting the proposed sale of oil and gas leases on federal lands inside the Spanish Peaks state wildlife area.
Suzanne O’Neill, CWF executive director, filed a protest with U.S. Bureau of Land Management last week asking that the Spanish Peaks state wildlife area, along with several other areas around the state, be removed from the sale scheduled for Feb. 8.
“Colorado’s state wildlife areas are acquired and managed by the Colorado Division of Wildlife specifically for wildlife habitat and for wildlife-related recreation. They are limited, rather than multi-use parcels, unlike the national forests and BLM lands,” O’Neill said.
Several parcels of land in the area were purchased using funds from the federal aid program through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Multiple-use areas allow such activities as livestock grazing, timber harvest, mining, recreation and the building of roads and utility corridors on public lands.
Permitted activities in the Spanish Peaks wildlife area include hunting, fishing, camping and wildlife viewing. The area is home to deer, elk, bear and mountain lion, as well as smaller animals such as turkey, squirrel and rabbit.
Leases on 49 parcels spanning 32,124 acres of federal lands will be up for grabs at the sale, which will take place at the BLM state office in Lakewood.
In an press release issued before the protest was filed, BLM Colorado Communications Director Vaughn Whatley explained the lease sale.
“While energy development on Colorado’s federal lands continues to play an important part in meeting our nation’s energy needs, our focus is on smart planning and working with industry to use best practices to reduce environmental impacts on public and private lands,” Whatley said.
Whatley said BLM will review each parcel that is protested before a lease is issued.
“We take seriously the concerns of the local community and incorporate their comments into our planning process,” Whatley said.
Formal protests will be announced at the beginning of the sale. If no decision on a protest has been made, bids will be accepted on the affected parcels. If the protest is upheld after the sale, the winning bidder will receive a refund.
Other areas that CWF requested be removed from the sale are the Little Snake state wildlife area near Maybell, the Wiggins unit of Browns Park near the Utah border and the Red Lion state wildlife area near Ovid.
ON THE NET:
Information about Feb. 8 lease sale: http://www.co.blm.gov/oilandgas/leasinfo.htm
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Copyright (c) 2007, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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