Farmington Field Office

Farmington RMP: Mancos-Gallup Amendment

The Bureau of Land Management Farmington Field Office, in coordination with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Navajo Regional Office, has prepared a joint Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement (RMPA/EIS) to analyze and update resource management issues, resource data, laws, regulations, and policies. The public was invited to participate in the 210-day public comment period which began on February 28, 2020 with the publication of the Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft RMPA/EIS in the Federal Register and concluded on September 25, 2020.

The RMPA/EIS will analyze the impacts of additional development in what was previously considered a fully developed oil and gas play within the San Juan Basin in northwestern New Mexico.  The Mancos Shale/Gallup Formation was analyzed in the 2002 Reasonably Foreseeable Development (RFD) Scenario and current Farmington Field Office 2003 Resource Management Plan (RMP)/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).  Subsequent improvements and innovations in horizontal drilling technology and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing have enhanced the economics of developing this stratigraphic horizon.  With favorable oil prices, the oil play in the southern part of the Farmington Field Office boundary has drawn considerable interest.  Additional impacts may occur that previously were not anticipated in the RFD or analyzed in the current 2003 RMP/EIS, therefore an EIS-level plan amendment and revision of the RFD is required for complete analysis of the Mancos Shale/Gallup Formation.

Decisions in the Mancos-Gallup RMPA/EIS will be focused on the following resource programs:  fluid leasable minerals; vegetation management; lands and realty; and lands with wilderness characteristics.  All other resources are outside of the scope of this planning effort.  However, impacts of the decisions for the resources being addressed will be analyzed on all affected resources.

Please visit the Farmington RMP: Mancos-Gallup Amendment ePlanning page for more information.

Contact Information

Sarah N. Scott, BLM Project Manager
505-564-7689
6251 College Blvd., Suite A 
Farmington, NM 87402 

Robert Begay, BIA Project Manager
P.O. Box 1060
Gallup, NM 87301 

August 2020 Open Houses

FMG RMPA/EIS Virtual Open House Website

The Draft FMG RMPA/EIS Virtual Open House website contains more information about the project including "stations" for various resources, a project overview, and frequently asked questions. You can also listen to the information in Navajo.

Virtual Open Houses and Radio call-in program were held on the following dates

August 20, 2020 Radio call-in program
1 to 4 p.m. (Farmington’s KNDN 960 AM)

August 26, 2020 Open House
9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. (Focus on Navajo Tribal issues and participation by Navajo Tribal members.)

August 27, 2020 Open House
9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. (Focus on tribal issues and participation by Pueblos and members of other Tribes)

August 28, 2020 Open House
9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. (General Public)

August 29, 2020 Open House
9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. (General Public)

RMPA/EIS Newsletters

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