BLM Approves Lease Suspension in White River National Forest
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SILT, Colo. - The Bureau of Land Management today approved an oil and gas lease suspension request from Axia Energy and Oxy USA for their lease in Mesa County about 15 miles south of Silt, just west of West Divide Creek.
The was lease set to expire May 31, but is one of 65 leases being analyzed in an Environmental Impact Statement to determine whether the leases should be voided, reaffirmed or subject to additional mitigation measures for site-specific development proposals.
Suspending the lease prevents any development activity and pauses the 10-year deadline to develop the lease. The lease suspension is effective Feb. 1, 2014, which is tied to the date the companies submitted their suspension request to the BLM. The suspension will remain in effect until the EIS is complete.
The suspended lease is about five miles west of the Thompson Divide.
The public scoping period for the EIS ended May 16, 2014. The BLM will begin developing detailed alternatives after thoroughly reviewing the scoping comments. The Draft EIS is expected to be released for public review in summer 2015.
Although the Forest Service determines which of its lands are available for leasing, the BLM is the lead agency for decisions on lease suspensions.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.