| Contacts: | Shannon Borders, 970-240-5399 |
BLM Extends Comment Deadline for the Tres Rios Field Office February 2013 Oil and Gas Lease Sale (09-17-12)
DOLORES, Colo. –The Tres Rios Field office extended the deadline for providing comments for the Bureau of Land Management’s February 2013 quarterly oil and gas lease sale from Sept. 18, 2012, to October 2, 2012.
The Tres Rios Field Office is evaluating whether 12 parcels in Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma and San Miguel counties should be offered for lease in February 2013. All minerals are federally-owned and consist of 3,369 acres under federal surface ownership, 7,766 acres under private surface ownership and 1,040 acres under the State of Colorado surface ownership.
The 2013 Tres Rios Field Office Oil and Gas Lease Sale Environmental Assessment evaluates whether oil and gas management decisions identified in the RMP, including lease stipulations, are still appropriate and provide adequate environmental protection.
“We are extending the comment period to ensure that we receive applicable information regarding resources on these parcels. Leasing Reform has provided the public a new approach to providing input, and we want to make sure that everyone is aware of this opportunity to become involved and comment,” said Connie Clementson, BLM Tres Rios field manager. “The EA is not an authorization document to make leasing decisions; although, parcels can be deferred if stipulations do not exist or modified within existing analysis to protect the resource concerns at any time until additional analysis is completed.”
Public input throughout the remainder of the comment period should reference specific parcels. For more information and to review the environmental documents go to http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Information/nepa/TRFO_NEPA/tres_rios_february.html.
Comments should be submitted in writing by October 2, 2012, to the Tres Rios Field Office, Attn: Oil and Gas Lease Sale, 29211 Hwy. 184, Dolores, CO 81323, fax 970-882-6841 or tres_rios_lease_sale@blm.gov.
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. 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 public lands.
29211 Highway 184 Dolores, CO 81323