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Aspen Public Radio news keeps you up to date with the latest information on the environment. From the debate over gas/oil drilling in the valley to water and wildlife - you will find our on-going commitment to those stories here.

BLM announces Proposed Oil and Gas Amendment

Bureau of Land Management, White River Office

The Bureau of Land Management has released its proposed changes to an oil and gas management plan that would affect part of northern Garfield County. The BLM’s amendment to the White River Field Office Resource Management Plan aims to reduce the impact of increased oil and gas production. That would be for an area spanning 1.7 million acres. Besides Garfield County, the area includes parts of Rio Blanco and Moffat Counties. 

The amendment comes after the Draft Environmental Impact Statement put out in 2012.

The BLM says the new document is a blend of four alternatives included in the Draft. The agency received 19,000 comments on the EIS.

The BLM says it is planning for the potential development of more than 15,000 oil and gas wells in the area over the next 20 years. In the new amendment, the BLM would also have more than a hundred and thirty thousand acres to manage for wilderness characteristics. There are already nearly 83,000 acres designated as Wilderness Study Areas.  

The BLM’s oil and gas Proposed Plan Amendment is now up for review. There is a 30 public protest period through late April. The agency plans to roll out a final decision later this year.