Bill Aimed At Keeping Off-Road Vehicles On Track

"It completely ruined my hunting trip, and that just happens all the time," said Petersen, who works on off-road issues for the conservation group Trout Unlimited. http://cbs4denver.com/local/snowmobiles.atvs.hunters.2.631336.html

DENVER (AP) ― Hunters and the state's leading off-road vehicle group are teaming up to support a crackdown on people who ride snowmobiles and ATVs where they shouldn't.A bill in the Legislature would penalize people who ride all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles in prohibited areas on public land.

"We know a very small portion of the recreating and hunting population causes problems, and we're going to get them reined in," said Dennis Larratt, chairman of the Colorado Off Highway Vehicle Coalition.

Dave Petersen, a bow hunter who lives near Durango, said he saw plenty of elk on a scouting trip in August. When he returned with his bow a few days later, Petersen didn't find any elk but he saw tracks from the ATV he figures scared them away.

"It completely ruined my hunting trip, and that just happens all the time," said Petersen, who works on off-road issues for the conservation group Trout Unlimited.

A bill by Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, and Sen. Lois Tochtrop, D-Thornton, would set a $100 fine for people who ride ATVs or snowmobiles on prohibited areas of state and federal lands. Fines would double in a wilderness area, and violators' hunting and fishing licenses could be docked 10 to 15 points and eventually revoked.

House Bill 1069 would allow any law-enforcement officer, including state wildlife officers, to enforce the law on federal lands. Federal agencies don't have enough rangers to police their lands, Petersen said.

The U.S. Forest Service will be happy for the help, said Janelle Smith, spokeswoman for the agency's regional office in Denver.

National forests are changing their rules on motorized vehicles and will designate areas where ATVs are allowed, Smith said. "You need to be on a designated trail, route or area," she said.

The Bureau of Land Management was consulted on the bill's wording, BLM spokesman James Sample said.

A 1976 federal law governing how public land is managed gives states the authority to impose fines on people who violate regulations Sample said. But each state "may have to authorize it with its own legislation," he said.

Salazars offer compromise on Roan Plateau drilling

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/09/salazars-offer-compromise-on-roan-plateau/

U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar and his brother, U.S. Rep. John Salazar, both Colorado Democrats, said Tuesday they will drop their opposition to natural gas drilling atop the state's majestic Roan Plateau, while they work to minimize environmental impacts.

The Salazars said their new stance is in the spirit of compromise, after they previously sought a one-year moratorium or even an outright ban on drilling on the Western Slope landmark.

Those efforts were killed in the Senate version of the energy bill.

"We may not get everything we want, but this is a pretty good compromise," Rep. Salazar said Tuesday in a news conference at the state Capitol.

The Salazars' approach aligns them with Gov. Bill Ritter, who last month said he would work with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to minimize the impact of gas drilling atop the plateau.

In recent years, the Roan - which includes 74,000 acres of federally owned land about 180 miles west of Denver - has become a battleground between the energy industry and conservationists.

The plateau contains an estimated 8.9 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas, according to the Interior Department, enough to heat 4 million homes for 20 years. It also is touted by hunters, outdoors enthusiasts and environmental activists for its wildlife, trout streams and topography.

The BLM last summer issued its first "record of decision," or a plan covering 53,000 acres of the Roan's top and sides, that Ritter reviewed over 120 days, ending in December. In the spring, the federal agency will finalize its second plan to cover the remaining 21,000 acres, categorized as environmentally critical areas.

Ritter has proposed increasing the environmentally critical areas to 36,000 acres, which he said would allow for greater protection of wildlife habitats and still allow narrow corridors of accessibility to drillers.

The Salazars said they would work that proposal into new legislation, with the support of Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs.

Sen. Salazar said he'd propose a phased leasing of the plateau, beginning with the gas-rich zones in the initial years and graduating to marginal zones. He also proposed a minimum lease bonus payment of $28,000 per acre by energy companies.

The Salazars' shift in position was hailed in some industry quarters but greeted with disappointment elsewhere.

"In the end, the winners will be Colorado taxpayers and local governments who will benefit from a huge potential revenue windfall, which our state badly needs," said Greg Schnacke, president and CEO of Americans For American Energy - a Golden-based interest group that has pushed for drilling atop the Roan.

Trout Unlimited, an environmental group that opposes drilling atop the Roan, said sportsmen in Colorado still think natural gas can be attained from beneath the Roan without drilling on public lands on the plateau's top.

"The gas isn't going anywhere, and with some patience, we can wait for technology to move along and allow us to get at the gas without sacrificing habitat and hunting and fishing opportunity," said Corey Fisher, a TU field coordinator on oil and gas issues.

Meanwhile, it's not clear how Ritter's proposal or new legislation by the Salazars and Udall would impact the BLM's first record of decision.

"As with any legislation, we follow any new rule that Congress approves and the president signs," BLM spokeswoman Jamie Gardner said.

chakrabartyg@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2976

Change in direction

Sen. Ken Salazar and Rep. John Salazar say they will, along with Rep. Mark Udall, all Colorado Democrats, propose legislation to:

* Allow oil and gas drilling atop the Roan Plateau, as per a federal decision last year, but lease those acres in a phased manner.

* Require a minimum lease bonus payment of $28,000 per acre. The federal government owns about 74,000 acres on the Roan, with the first decision covering more than 53,000 acres. A second decision expected this spring will cover the remaining "environmentally critical" areas.

* Increase the environmentally critical areas from 21,000 acres to more than 36,000 acres, with narrow corridors through those lands being accessible to drillers.

* Increase and restore the state's share of mineral-leasing revenues to 50 percent from 48 percent in the Omnibus Appropriations bill that was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Bush.

* Transfer excess funds from the Anvil Points oil shale trust fund back to the Western Slope communities to invest in land and water protection and on roads affected by oil and gas development.

Salazars offer compromise on Roan Plateau drilling

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20080108/VALLEYNEWS/922694956

By Phillip Yates Glenwood Springs CO Colorado January 8, 2008

GLENWOOD SPRINGS — U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., and Rep. John Salazar, D-Manassa, are backing away from attempts to prevent gas leasing on the top of the Roan Plateau, and instead plan to introduce legislation partly based on recommendations by Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter.The Salazars’ proposed legislation, which was crafted with the help of U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs, would direct the federal government to implement two of Ritter’s proposals for boosting environmental protections during energy development on the Roan. Ritter announced the proposals in late December.

“The Roan Plateau is a very special place for us here in Colorado. It is one of the most diverse wildlife habitats we have in our state. It is one of those places we absolutely have to protect,” Ken Salazar said Tuesday during a conference call with reporters. “I will not allow the Western Slope or any part of our state to become the sacrificial zone for oil and gas development.”

The Salazars, who are brothers, plan to submit their legislation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate when they return to Washington on Jan. 15.

The proposed legislation also would transfer an estimated $80 million in the Anvil Points oil shale trust fund back to Colorado and the Western Slope. About $20 million is needed to clean up the Anvil Points Superfund site north of Rulison. The proposed legislation would direct $40 million in “spillover funds” to water and land conservation efforts and roads impacted by oil and gas development in Garfield and Rio Blanco counties, according to the Salazars.

The Anvil Points issue was a point of contention between Ken Salazar and Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., in late December, as Congress was rushing to approve several bills. Allard accused Salazar of refusing to co-sponsor his Anvil Points provision to return revenues to Colorado unless Allard supported moratoriums on gas leasing on the Roan Plateau and on the process leading to commercial oil shale leasing in the region. The moratorium effort regarding gas leasing on the Roan Plateau failed.

Attempts to contact Sen. Wayne Allard’s office were not successful late Tuesday.

Following the governor’s lead Included in the Salazars’ proposed legislation is a requirement to increase the designated areas of critical environmental concern in the current Bureau of Land Management plan for drilling on the Roan from its current 21,034 acres to about 36,000 acres. Ritter had requested the increase in December.Ritter also called for phased leasing rather than leasing all the federal lands at once. The Salazars’ legislation would require phased leasing.

Jon Bargas, manager of communications for the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States, said he applauded the Salazars’ goal of striking a balance between energy development and preserving public lands in the Roan.

“At a time when the country is suffering from rising energy costs, unemployment, and fears of a recession, we are glad to see the Salazar brothers and Rep. Udall are beginning to recognize the importance of this important domestic energy resource,” Bargas said.

Ken Neubecker, vice president of Colorado Trout Unlimited, said any legislation to increase the size of the ACECs is a positive step.

But he added, “It is still not as good, in my mind, as not allowing drilling at all (on top of the plateau). That is the only way to guarantee protection of the wildlife and aquatic resources.”

The Salazars’ legislation would also target language slipped into a $555 billion spending bill that would reduce the states’ 50 percent share from federal mineral leasing — derived from energy and mineral extraction on federal lands — by 2 percent. The reduction means states would get 48 percent of the proceeds, and the federal government 52 percent.

“The legislation would repeal the provisions and restore Colorado’s federal mineral leasing share to 50 percent,” said Salazar, adding that the legislation would apply only to Colorado.

Allard staff members have indicated the 52-48 split would apply only to the 2008 fiscal year. Allard also opposes changing the 50-50 split, even for a year.

Salazar Brothers, Udall Offer Hope for Roan

But sportsmen continue to call for full protection of plateau’s public lands

Jan. 8, 2008 / Contact:  Corey Fisher, Trout Unlimited (970) 589-9196

DENVER—Trout Unlimited applauded U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar and U.S. Reps. Mark Udall and John Salazar on Tuesday, after the lawmakers announced their intent to increase protections for critical fish and game habitat atop the Roan Plateau. However, the organization said, sportsmen in Colorado still believe natural gas can be attained from beneath the Roan without drilling on public lands on the plateau’s top. “Expanding the number of protected acres on the Roan is certainly good for fish and wildlife,” said Corey Fisher, a TU field coordinator who works on oil and gas issues in Colorado and around the West. “But sportsmen have sacrificed so much already—the Piceance Basin is a huge natural gas field that is being aggressively developed to the detriment of fish and game and hunting and fishing. The top the Roan is a last, best refuge for wildlife and for hunters and anglers, in the region.” Reps. Salazar and Udall and Sen. Salazar said they will introduce a bill in Congress later this month that will increase the size of the protected acreage on the Roan by 16,000 acres, all of which would be included in the Roan’s Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). In a press conference on Tuesday, however, the three said they wouldn’t stand in the way of leasing the top the Roan, albeit via a phased-in and orderly process. “That’s encouraging, but I don’t understand the rush to go after this last, unspoiled place,” said Fisher.  “The gas isn’t going anywhere, and with some patience, we can wait for technology to move along and allow us to get at the gas without sacrificing habitat and hunting and fishing opportunity.” TU and other sportsmen’s organizations in Colorado have long advocated for directional drilling to access the natural gas beneath the Roan.  “It’s possible to get at the bulk of the gas today with existing technology,” Fisher said. “With the energy boom in full swing across the West, technology will only improve, and more of the gas will be accessible if we only show some restraint in places like the Roan, that are simply too valuable to drill.”

What's that sludge?

DAILY NEWS STAFF REPORTSsummit daily news Summit County, CO Colorado December 30, 2007

Boo. Our history is still coming back to haunt. A surge of toxic metals washing out of Peru Creek into the Snake River killed hundreds of trout in August, showing why local officials are putting a focus on cleaning up abandoned mines.With some new initiatives from the federal government and the involvement of Trout Unlimited, there was some progress in tackling the Pennsylvania Mine in Peru Creek, one of the worst sites in the county. A model agreement covering volunteer cleanups could help speed a remediation project at the Pennsylvania Mine.

In the Blue River drainage, Breckenridge and Summit County have started construction of a water treatment facility at the site of the Wellington-Oro mine. When it's finished, the plant will remove zinc from French Gulch and improve water quality downstream in the Blue River.

And in another cleanup project, the EPA and the Forest Service removed tons of rock tainted with high levels of lead from the federal Claimjumper Parcel along Airport Road. The material was moved to a repository in French Gulch, where it will remain indefinitely.

The project stirred local opposition, as residents of the French Gulch area questioned why they should have to live with new mine waste in addition to the large piles of tainted rock already present near their neighborhood.

But federal officials touted the Claimjumper cleanup as a win-win, citing improved environmental conditions in both locations.

Let them drill, Ritter says

Roan Plateau proposal includes expanded wildlife protection areas

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_7773981

By Jennifer Brown
The Denver Post

Article Last Updated: 12/21/2007 06:13:51 AM MST

Gov. Bill Ritter said Thursday that he won't fight a federal plan to drill for gas atop the Roan Plateau but is seeking staggered leasing and an expansion of wildlife protection zones by about 70 percent, to 36,000 acres.

The governor — calling it a "uniquely Colorado solution" — tried to strike a balance between environmentalists opposed to federal plans for drilling on the Roan and industry officials who see expanded drilling as a boon to the western Colorado economy.

The balancing act drew some praise from environmental groups, energy companies and politicians in both parties.

"This is a Colorado treasure like few others," said Steve Smith, regional director for the Wilderness Society.

The governor's stance "sends a strong signal that Colorado wants this protected," Smith said.

State Sen. Josh Penry, a Grand Junction Republican who fought attempts to block drilling on the Roan, said Ritter "came to the right conclusion in the face of some heavy political pressure from people in his own party and the environmental community."

Ritter's comments followed a 120-day review he had requested after the federal Bureau of Land Management announced plans in June for limited drilling on public lands on top of the 9,000-foot plateau.

While the agency has no obligation to incorporate Ritter's recommendations, the governor said he is in "productive discussions" with the U.S. Department of the Interior and believes federal officials will take his recommendations.

The governor called for expanding four wildlife-protection zones by 15,000 acres, to 36,000 acres.

That is same size requested by the state Division of Wildlife in 2005, but it was cut in the federal proposal.

Staggered leasing possible Ritter and Harris Sherman, director of the state Department of Natural Resources, said they will push for phased-in leasing, letting energy companies bid on land ready for development within 10 or 15 years instead of 30 or 40 years.

The incremental leasing would sustain long-term economic benefits for local economies near Rifle, plus allow for advancements in drilling technology, Ritter said.

Environmentalists called Ritter's comments a "positive first step" in protecting the Roan, an ecological gem that is home to the state's largest elk and mule-deer herds, golden and bald eagles, and the rare genetically pure cutthroat trout.

Steve Craig, president of the Colorado council of Trout Unlimited, commended the governor for trying to find middle ground but argued that any drilling is likely to damage streams and animal habitat, and leave near-permanent scars on the land.

"A lot of times when those places are gone, they're gone forever," Craig said.

Oil-and-gas industry officials said the governor's comments serve as vindication, showing it's possible to drill in environmentally sensitive ways.

"We've said it before and prove on a daily basis that energy development and protection of the environment can and do co-exist," Meg Collins, president of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association, said in a statement.

The rock plateau — visible from Interstate 70 — already has 157 miles of roads and 31 wells drilled on private lands. Energy companies have cut two new roads to the plateau top on private lands.

Energy claims staked early In 2002, when the BLM first proposed opening the plateau to drilling, 30 percent of the Roan's 127,000 acres already were owned by energy companies, and 15 percent of public and private lands already had been leased for oil and gas.

Among those awaiting the governor's decision was EnCana Oil & Gas, a Canadian company developing 45,000 acres on the west end of the plateau.

The company is drilling up to 28 wells from a single pad and collecting gas condensates and water more efficiently, reducing the number of trucks to carry it out, said company spokesman Doug Hock.

U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., who is trying to stall drilling on the Roan for a year, said he hoped Ritter's comments would help build "constructive dialogue" with the BLM.

Salazar helped secure the 120-day review for Ritter.

Steven Hall, a BLM spokesman,said the agency can work with the state to stagger drilling and take into account environmental concerns such as wildlife seasons and runoff.

"The goal for everyone is to find a way to recover a tremendous natural-gas resource in an environmentally sensitive manner," he said.

Hall said, however, the agency also is charged under federal law with opening the lands for energy exploration "as soon as practicable."

"It was not set aside as a national park," Hall said. "It has not been designated as a wilderness area. It was designated for multiple use under the BLM's mandate."

The BLM's 52,000-acre development plan was hammered out with the state's Natural Resources Department after years of negotiations.

It limits drilling operations to no more than 1 percent of the plateau's surface land at any given time and requires that area to be restored before new drilling can begin.

Some state lawmakers, led by Penry, want to create a permanent trust fund from Roan drilling revenues that would fund higher education and communities affected by the oil-and-gas industry.

Staff writers Steve Lipsher and Aldo Svaldi contributed to this report. Jennifer Brown: 303-954-1593 or jenbrown@denverpost.com

---

April 2002 — The Bush administration prepares a new management plan for 198 square miles on the Roan Plateau, turning public- lands agencies away from the Clinton administration's preservation orientation.

April 2003 — Interior Secretary Gale Norton initiates a new policy that prohibits the BLM from considering wilderness protection in future energy planning efforts. Norton's new policy also strips temporary protection granted to areas, including the Roan Plateau.

December 2003 — The Colorado Division of Wildlife's suggestions that four areas on the Roan Plateau be protected from development are omitted from the state's final report to the BLM.

November 2004 — The BLM submits a draft environmental impact report on gas drilling on the Roan Plateau, which gives five alternatives and says it could be 16 years before the first wells are drilled. The state says the report downplays the economic benefits of hunting and recreation on the plateau.

June 2006 — Federal land managers choose to open the top of the Roan Plateau to oil and gas drilling without waiting until resources at the bottom of the plateau are tapped, despite requests to keep the top off-limits. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., asks that the new leasing plan be opened to public comment.

February 2007 —Conservationists, wildlife advocates and local officials ask for congressional action to stop or curb the planned drilling on the Roan Plateau.

June 2007 — The BLM decides to allow immediate drilling on nearly 70 percent of the Roan Plateau. U.S. Reps. Mark Udall and John Salazar attempt to put a one-year hold on the plan. Gov. Bill Ritter criticizes the BLM for not giving state officials time to review the plan.

July 2007 — Sen. Salazar presses the BLM to provide a 120-day extension for the state to review the resource management plan for the Roan Plateau.

August 2007 — Reps. Salazar and Udall insert language into a bill to prevent all drilling on the plateau, except when it takes place on private land or at the base of the mountain.

August 2007 — Ritter is given 120 days to review federal plans for development on the Roan Plateau.

Dec. 20, 2007 — Ritter proposes phased drilling and a 70 percent larger area for wildlife protection — 36,000 acres, or slightly more than a quarter of the plateau.

Ritter gives tepid nod to Roan drilling

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/12/20/122107_1a_Ritter_Roan.html

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Natural gas drilling atop the Roan Plateau should continue, Gov. Bill Ritter acknowledged Thursday, so long as the federal government protects the plateau’s environmentally sensitive assets.

“I think we can strike a balance that’s going to benefit Colorado’s environment, economy, communities involved … and certainly the energy industry,” Ritter said.

In a letter sent to Sally Wisely, state director for the Bureau of Land Management, Ritter said he hopes the agency will work to ensure watersheds, wildlife habitat and other aspects of critical environmental importance are protected as development moves ahead.

Ritter requested the BLM protect several places atop the plateau that the agency has not flagged as areas of critical concern.

He also requested incremental leasing of the federal lands.

Phased leasing could garner Colorado higher leasing revenue, let Colorado better utilize new drilling technologies and enable communities surrounding the Roan to accommodate development, state Department of Natural Resources Director Harris Sherman said.

The governor’s letter and comments came at the end of a 120-day review period, which the Interior Department granted the state in early August.

The question of whether and how to develop the Roan Plateau north of Interstate 70 between Parachute and Rifle ignited a political firestorm this year after the BLM decided in late June to open the more than 50,000 acres atop the plateau to leasing.

Development advocate Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, praised the governor’s decision in a statement, calling it “a shot across the bow of those who have tried to make energy production a wedge campaign issue in Colorado.”

“When you strip away all the politics and all the partisan grandstanding that’s been going on in Washington, the governor finally came around to making the right call on the Roan and he deserves credit for it,” Penry said.

In response to Ritter’s letter, Wisely said she looks forward to working with Colorado to responsibly develop the Roan.

“I believe we can recover the area’s natural gas resources in an environmentally sensitive manner so as to meet the nation’s energy needs and generate revenue for the people of Colorado,” Wisely said.

Conservationists, however, said they were disappointed with the governor’s decision not to fight development atop the Roan.

Steve Craig, the president of the Colorado Council of Trout Unlimited, said the governor’s position did not go far enough in advocating against drilling atop the plateau.

“While we applaud the governor’s recommendation to expand the so-called ‘areas of critical environmental concern,’ ” Craig said, “we also see a missed opportunity to fully protect the fish and wildlife habitat on the Roan Plateau.”

Elise Jones, executive director of the Colorado Environmental Coalition, said she hopes Colorado’s congressional delegation will continue to fight to halt leasing activities atop the plateau.

Ritter’s opinion places him at odds with Democratic Colorado lawmakers Rep. John Salazar, Rep. Mark Udall and Sen. Ken Salazar, who have tried to halt Roan development at every turn.

Ritter asks to expand protected areas on Roan Plateau

http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20071220/NEWS/289003089 BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 20, 2007

DENVER - Gov. Bill Ritter said Thursday he asked federal land managers to expand areas of the Roan Plateau that would be off-limits to natural gas drilling, calling the western Colorado landmark "a very special place."

Ritter said he and his staff also continue to negotiate with the Bureau of Land Management on how the rest of the federal land on the plateau is developed.

The Roan Plateau has become a battle ground in the push for more domestic energy production because it's both rich in natural gas - several trillion cubic feet in deposits - and rich in wildlife and ecological diversity.

"I'm confident that we're making progress on what I believe is a uniquely Colorado solution," Ritter said during a news briefing in his office.

The BLM issued a final management plan in June that covered about 70 percent of the 73,602 acres of federal land on the plateau. A final decision is pending on areas deemed environmentally sensitive - about 30 percent of the federal land - because the areas weren't adequately described in the plan.

The proposal for the Roan Plateau had been in the works for seven years but Ritter sought, and received, more time to study it because he had just taken office in January.

In comments sent Thursday to the BLM, Ritter recommended expanding the environmentally critical areas to be protected from the 21,034 acres in the agency's plan to 36,184 acres. The Colorado Division of Wildlife previously endorsed the larger acreage.

The Ritter administration is also suggesting changes to the plan for the rest of the federal land even though the BLM gave final approval to that part of the proposal. He said talks with BLM and Interior Department officials have been productive.

"I think we're making progress on a plan that is better than the current one," Ritter said.

BLM spokesman David Boyd said the agency will have to review the state's suggestions to determine if they can mesh with the plan. "We want to keep working with them," he said.

Ritter and Harris Sherman, executive director of the state Department of Natural Resources, said the earliest the BLM would issue any gas leases for the area would likely be late next summer. They said that should give them time to continue talking to federal officials.

State officials have suggested phasing in leases on top of the plateau rather than leasing the land all at once. Sherman said he believes that would increase what companies are willing to pay because the current plan calls for the development to occur in stages. He said companies are unlikely to pay a lot of money for leases they can't develop for a while.

The state and federal governments split the revenue from federal leases offered in auctions.

Sherman said another advantage of pacing the leases over several years is that as technology improves, the impacts of drilling will be reduced.

The BLM's plan projects 193 well pads and 1,570 wells over 20 years, including 13 pads and 210 wells on top. The BLM says the proposal would preserve 51 percent of land on top of and below the plateau while allowing recovery of more than 90 percent of the natural gas.

On top, the BLM calls for oil and gas drilling to be done in stages and clusters to limit disturbance to 1 percent of the federal land at any time. Development would be focused on slopes with less than a 20 percent angle.

Environmentalists, hunting and angling groups and some area residents oppose plans to drill on top of the plateau. The Roan Plateau, about 180 miles west of Denver, looms over the Colorado River and alternates between open flat spots, deep canyons and rugged peaks as high as 9,000 feet.

The plateau is home to the state's largest deer and elk herds, mountain lions, peregrine falcons, bears, rare plants and genetically pure native cutthroat trout dating to the last ice age. Local elected officials have said the Roan Plateau, which draws hunters and anglers from across the country, contributes millions of dollars to the area economy.

The area also sits atop the region's largest oil shale reserves and enough natural gas, according to industry estimates, to heat every home in Colorado for a quarter century.

Some industry groups and elected officials have criticized efforts to block drilling on the plateau, saying the country needs to reduce its reliance on foreign fuel. They also said delays could cost the state billions of dollars from leases and mineral royalties.

Reps. Mark Udall and John Salazar and Sen. Ken Salazar, all Colorado Democrats, proposed unsuccessful bills to ban or postpone drilling on top of the Roan Plateau.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Association, a trade group, said it was pleased that Ritter recognizes the plateau's potential resources and that technology can be used to extract the gas in an environmentally sensitive way.

Ritter's recommendations for the plateau drew mixed reactions from conservation groups.

"We are really pleased that the governor endorsed the original recommendations of the Division of the Wildlife" on environmentally sensitive areas, said Suzanne O'Neill, executive director of the Colorado Wildlife Federation, made up of hunters, anglers and wildlife advocates.

But some members of the Colorado chapter of Trout Unlimited expressed concern that drilling would be allowed on top of the plateau.

Forest snow to faucet flow

Denver Post guest commentary by Rick Cables Last week's announcement of a historic, seven-state water-sharing agreement brings to light a perception that water begins at the Colorado River, when actually it is the link between our forest's snow pack and the faucets through which that melted snow flows.

Mountain snows supply 75 percent of the inland West's water, almost half of it from the highest elevations. The health of forests is critical to the quality and quantity of water that flows from them.

Renewing national forests is critical to sustaining their function as the source of most water in the inland West. Forests are nature's sponge, storing and filtering vast amounts of water and slowly releasing it in summer when it is most needed. It all begins in winter with snowfall.

Winter snow will translate into water yields next spring. The mountain snowpack functions as a high-altitude reservoir that feeds headwater river basins. The streams in these basins ultimately flow to our water systems. When we turn on our faucets, we tap into our forests — so our water supply depends on the health of our forests and their streams.

Securing reliable flows of clean water was a prime purpose of the first national forests. In a sense, history is repeating itself today as we in the Forest Service return to our roots by giving priority to water as the greatest value of national forests.

The stakes are now higher than ever with projections of a warming climate, less snowpack, earlier snowmelt, and more severe droughts and wildfires that will strain our water supply and threaten our water source. We need to plan for such a future.

The evidence today is sobering: Spring snowpack has already dropped sharply in the past 20 years, and snowmelt runoff now starts an average of 10 days earlier. Large forest fires are four times more frequent and burn six times more acres. In spite of all this, national forests will remain the water towers of the West, feeding the Colorado River and other river basins.

Water is a finite resource, with infinite potential demand. We may squeeze a bit more from the earth and sky, but there is only so much water there. The real answer lies in working together to save our source and reduce our demand. The water stresses of this century will prove to be a defining conservation issue of our time.

Advocacy for water issues and forests requires public collaboration. One model is the Pike National Forest, where a 2-mile stretch of the South Platte River between Elevenmile Dam and Cheesman Reservoir is the site of an ambitious watershed restoration project. The state of Colorado, Park County, Trout Unlimited, Coalition for the Upper South Platte, and South Platte Enhancement Board will work with us in 2008 on the Happy Meadows project. Drainage control on roads and pullouts and revegetation of burned areas and heavily grazed upstream pastures will reduce sediment loads into the river and improve aquatic habitats and clean water supplies.

The work of rural communities, grassroots groups, businesses and individual volunteers is critical to improving our forest watersheds, to helping heal wounds on the land so streams run clean, and to making forests more resilient to wildfires so the sponge keeps working. And we are grateful.

I applaud the visionary cooperation shown by the seven Colorado basin states, and hope it helps pave the way for more joint water solutions. Our future depends on it.

Rick Cables is the Rocky Mountain Regional Forester.

Sportsmen join forces to protect Garfield County's Roan Plateau

By Phillip Yates December 12, 2007

RIFLE - Anglers, hunters and recreational enthusiasts have formed a new coalition fighting to protect the Roan Plateau from increased gas development atop its rim and in crucial, lower deer and elk winter range.In its announcement Tuesday, Sportsmen for the Roan Plateau - an organization made up of more than 20 groups that include the National Wildlife Federation, state chapters of Trout Unlimited and the Colorado Mule Deer Association - proposed a "two-pronged solution" it hopes would be a fair compromise for sportsmen and energy developers regarding the Roan's future.The proposal calls for no new oil and gas leases on public lands in the Roan Plateau Planning Area until a plan is developed "that allows continued, responsible drilling on existing leases and private industry lands, including directional drilling underneath underdeveloped lands while protecting those underdeveloped public lands in the Roan Plateau Planning area from development-related surface disturbances."

Bill Dvorak, a spokesman for the National Wildlife Federation, said the proposal is not a new strategy to try to restrict gas drilling further afield in the Bureau of Land Management's Roan Plateau Planning Area.

"It has always been our philosophy that you can't have wildlife if you don't have a winter refuge," Dvorak said. "We have always advocated protecting the prime winter range at the base of the Roan."

Dvorak said while many environmental groups have concentrated on protecting the top of the Roan, most people concerned about wildlife consistently have advocated protecting the base as well as the top, because there will not "be any critters to occupy the top if they don't have a place to winter."

The gas-rich Piceance Basin, of which the Roan Plateau is a small part, is about 7,100 square miles in size, but the public lands on the Roan Plateau are less than 67,000 acres or about 1.5 percent of the Piceance Basin, according to the Sportsmen for the Roan Plateau. The group cited a 2006 government study saying 90 percent of the public, BLM-managed natural gas in the Uinta/Piceance basins is already available for leasing.

"Clearly there is room for balance, including protecting what remains of the Roan Plateau," the group said in its statement.

The same day Sportsmen for the Roan released its statement announcing its formation, a pro-industry group called Americans for American Energy criticized U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., for reportedly leading a "back door" attack in Congress against the U.S. Naval Oil Shale Reserve - the old name for the Roan Plateau. The group said Salazar's actions would deprive Colorado of more than $1 billion in new revenues that could possibly "fund improvements to schools, local governments and water projects."

The group accused Salazar of wanting to stick an amendment deep in a spending package being considered "behind closed doors" that would stop a current compromise Roan Plateau management plan from going forward. That plan would allow drilling on the plateau top.

The group praised Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., for his support of the plan. It said Allard is doing the "heavy lifting for Colorado and America on this, and Colorado consumers will owe him a huge debt of gratitude if he succeeds."

Salazar contends the plateau top should be protected from drilling. He said last week he may push to include a one-year moratorium on leasing on the Roan in an Interior Department appropriations bill, to provide time to come up with a more protective management plan.