U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees

 

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

 

 

For Immediate Release

Monday, June 9, 2008

CONTACT:Stephanie Valencia – 202-228-3630

Senator Salazar's Comments on Roan Lease Sale Announcement

DENVER, CO - Today, United States Senator Ken Salazar released the following statement in response to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) announcement that it will sell oil and gas leases on 55,186 acres on top of the Roan Plateau.

“I am deeply disappointed that the Administration is proceeding with its plan to auction off the entire top of the Roan Plateau for oil and gas development, despite objections by the State of Colorado. Not only is the BLM plan fiscally irresponsible but, under current law, the state will receive no part of any bonus bids or other lease revenues from the Aug. 14 sale. The BLM’s plan ignores a set of sensible recommendations for the protection of wildlife habitat, the environment and other recreational resources that Governor Ritter and the State of Colorado developed last year, and which I have included in legislation that I have introduced in the U.S. Senate. By auctioning off the entire Roan Plateau at once, and before the Congress has had an opportunity to consider my legislation, the Administration is not only failing to minimize drilling impacts on wildlife and the environment, but it is failing to maximize the revenue that could come from a phased lease sale.

“The Governor’s plan, which is the basis for legislation I introduced earlier this year, would allow development of nearly all of the natural gas under the Roan Plateau, but it would bring more money to the state through phased leasing and it would do a better job of protecting the wildlife that makes the Roan Plateau a destination for hunters and anglers.

“I will continue to press ahead with legislation that would enact the Governor’s plan for the Roan and with my efforts to amend the Transfer Act, so that the State of Colorado receives its fair share of revenues from oil and gas development. The reality is that under current law the State of Colorado will not receive a dime of any Roan Plateau revenue until the cleanup of Anvil Points is certified as complete. That is unacceptable and I will explore every opportunity to fix it.”

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