For Immediate Release: August 15, 2003
Contact: : Steve Hall, 970-244-3052
 

BLM, Rio Blanco County Hazardous Fuels Project Aimed at Reducing Wildfire Threat
White River Powerline project is part of a model Environmental Assessment Pilot

MEEKER, Colorado -- The Bureau of Land Management, leaders of Rio Blanco County and local industry groups have developed a model fuels reduction project that will enhance efforts to protect citizens and resources against the threats of catastrophic wildfires.  The White River Powerline project is part of a model Environmental Assessment Pilot that provides guidelines to enhance and improve the efficiency of hazardous fuel reduction projects on public lands.

“We are encouraged by this pilot project designed to improve environmental assessments for hazardous fuels reduction,” Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Land and Minerals Management Rebecca Watson said.  “This is the beginning of an extraordinary effort by land-management agencies to improve efficiency and enhance completion of environmental assessments for removing hazardous fuels.”

The White River Powerline project is designed to reduce fuels buildup near key electrical transmission lines southwest of Meeker, Colorado.  This project is in response to and in support of Rio Blanco County’s Strategic Emergency/Disaster Management Program to help protect key public infrastructures.  The powerlines serve local communities, and energy and mineral operations.  The project will protect 181 pole structures over the 28-mile transmission line.  Crews will thin about 300 acres of pinyon pine, juniper and various mountain shrubs. 

 As part of his Healthy Forests Initiative, President Bush called for development of a model for fuels treatments to improve the time between project proposal and project implementation.  In December 2002, the Council of Environmental Quality issued new guidelines for preparing these Environmental Assessments.  

The model project addresses issues raised by the northwest Colorado community of Meeker, where residents have been concerned about a 28-mile power line across Federal lands that could burn up if fire struck the area.  The loss of the power line would devastate the local economy.

“In our discussions with the public, the project was very well received,” said BLM White River Field Office Manager Kent Walter.  “This really exemplifies the BLM’s commitment to work with local communities and their priorities.”

The 28-mile power line is the only electrical supply for a major sodium plant and oil and gas operations in this remote section of the Piceance Basin, one of North America’s richest mineral reserves.  Three hundred acres along the power line corridor will be cleared of hazardous fuels, providing defensible space and safety zones for firefighters.

 The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on the public lands.

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