| Contacts: | Hans Stuart | , 505.954.2018 |
BLM Settles Appeal of Resource Management Plan in Northwest New Mexico
The Bureau of Land Management has entered into a settlement agreement with plaintiffs who appealed a U.S. District Court decision that upheld the BLM’s Resource Management Plan Revision for public lands and mineral resources in the agency’s Farmington Field Office.
Plaintiffs who appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit filed to dismiss the appeal; the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the case today. The appellants included the San Juan Citizens Alliance, Oil and Gas Accountability Project, Dine Care, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Counselor Chapter of the Navajo Nation.
Under the settlement agreement, the BLM agrees to:
- reaffirm its commitments in the 2003 Resource Management Plan;
- convene a symposium on green technology with the energy industry, state agencies and the
public to examine and discuss available emissions-limiting technology;
- post relevant planning documents, Notices of Staking, and geographic information system
data on the internet to enhance timely public involvement in its decision-making process;
- hire a Navajo Nation coordinator;
- hold meetings annually and bi-annually in northern New Mexico to discuss development in
the BLM’s Farmington Field Office; and
- continue to participate actively in the Four Corners Air Quality Group (formerly known as
the Four Corners Air Quality Task Force)
“We’re happy to have reached agreement with the appellants in this case,” said Linda Rundell, New Mexico State Director for the BLM in Santa Fe. “The actions we are taking will increase our dialog with the public on the management of energy and natural resources on public lands. It’s the right thing to do: we want to enhance our working relationships with all public land users and further our role as a model for environmentally responsible energy development.”
Today’s settlement agreement and dismissal of the appeal preserves the U.S. District Court’s decision in September 2008 upholding the BLM’s planning process and environmental analysis for its update of the Farmington Resource Management Plan, implemented in September 2003. The plaintiffs had claimed the BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act and other statutes, and asking that the agency put aside (and completely redo) the plan revision.
“One of the most exciting items in this agreement involves the BLM purchasing and utilizing new, state-of-the-art infrared sensors to detect leaks in gas field equipment,” said Steve Henke, the BLM’s Farmington District Manager. “We’ve worked with the oil and gas industry over the past 25 years to minimize leaks and venting or flaring of natural gas in order to enhance product recovery and reduce greenhouse gas emissions; I’m proud to say that this work will continue.”
Click here to read the Settlement Agreement.
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.