Montezuma County officials are pushing back after being presented a preliminary BLM map that includes the county in a proposed master leasing plan for oil-and-gas development.
During a tense exchange with BLM officials, county commissioners expressed concerns that the additional planning could lead to more regulations and stifle new business.
“You’re making it more cumbersome for companies that are already heavily regulated,” said commissioner Keenan Ertel.
The BLM emphasized that the plan is a work in progress, and does not necessarily guarantee additional rules.
Connie Clementson, BLM Tres Rios field manager, said it was initiated at the request of the public to determine if potential oil-and-gas lease areas near recreation areas warrant additional mitigation.
The map includes a controversial, now deferred, lease area in western La Plata county that is within the viewshed of Mesa Verde National Park. In Montezuma County, it includes potential lease areas south of Summit Reservoir, and near the Phil’s World mountain bike park between Cortez and Mancos.
“The map is a starting point. We’re taking a closer look to allow the public to inform us of their concerns,” Clementson said. “Aren’t you concerned with impacts to your mountain bike area? We’ve received a lot of letters on that.”
Commissioners James Lambert and Ertel countered that regulations to manage those impacts are already within the San Juan Resource Management Plan passed this year.
“You missed a step when we were not invited to be at the table when this map was drawn up,” Lambert said. “I want it (redrawn) to stop at our county line. If La Plata wants it, that’s their business.”
Ertel also wants the map redrawn so it excludes Montezuma County.
“We want to be more involved with the conceptual stages when the map lines are defined,” he said.
Clementson urged the commissioners to let the process unfold, and that part of the MLP process is educating the public of the BLM regulations that are already in place.
“Your constituents may say current restrictions are sufficient,” she said. “Let’s see what the community says.”
The commission was critical of the fact that much of the federal land within the proposed MLP map already limits or bans oil-and-gas development.
The Menefee and Weber Mountain Wilderness Study Areas near Mancos are withdrawn from mineral development. Also the Mesa Verde escarpment managed by the BLM has a no surface occupancy rule for oil-and-gas development.
That leaves about 8,000 acres that the MLP proposal will focus on, including possible future drilling in western La Plata County, and on BLM land south of Summit Reservoir and north of Phil’s World.
“A lot of it is already locked up. Our constituents are not just recreationalists and environmentalists,” Lambert said. “We’re working class. We have (oil and gas) resources here, and we have a responsibility to make those jobs available.”
As part of the process, both counties are supposed to establish their own working groups that will give input on the possible MLP, but Montezuma County has not indicated they plan to do so. The deadline to appoint the group is Oct. 16.
jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com
