For Immediate Release: October 27, 2004
Contact: Steven Hall: 970-244-3052
Duane Spencer: 303-239-3753
Vaughn Whatley: 303-239-3766
 

Reasonable Foreseeable Development (RFD) calculations for the Roan Plateau
 

DENVER—The Wilderness Society -- using information contained in the 2000 Energy Policy Conservation Act (EPCA) report -- infers the Roan Plateau planning area contains 30 times less gas than BLM’s calculations have concluded.  BLM program specialists provided The Wilderness Society representatives with an explanation of its Reasonable Foreseeable Development (RFD) scenario prepared for the development of a land use plan for the Roan Plateau.  BLM specialists described the methodology used to calculate the natural gas resource volume in the Roan Plateau planning area.  BLM officials also emphasized that the important RFD data is the projected number of wells, which is used to properly analyze cumulative impacts in the planning area. 

The Wilderness Society does not agree with the BLM’s estimate of the potential natural gas resources available in the Roan Plateau planning area, nor the calculation method BLM used.  BLM has provided significant documentation to support its figures, as well as details about the EPCA report’s findings, and the potential pitfalls that occur when data from the report is misused or skewed.  Yet, The Wilderness Society has tried to mischaracterize the disparity between the RFD and EPCA calculations as a dispute between BLM and the United States Geological Survey.  That is misleading and inaccurate.

The Wilderness Society has been unwilling to accept BLM’s calculation methods or figures and indicated they would appeal to the public.  The public has a right to know the whole story.  BLM’s calculation of the RFD is accurate and will be used as part of the Roan Plateau planning process.  The RFD figures estimate the Roan Plateau contains 15.4 Trillion Cubic Feet of recoverable natural gas.  The Draft Roan Plateau Resource Management Plan has not yet been released for public comment.

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