Last November, Colorado TU and other conservationists reached a settlement with the Bureau of Land Management and with energy leaseholders including Bill Barrett Corp. for the Roan Plateau. The settlement has resulted in leases being cancelled and refunded for the majority of habitat atop the Roan, while moving forward a process to allow responsible development of other leases in the area. Colorado TU's David Nickum and Bill Barrett's Duane Zavadil recently joined in writing an op-ed piece highlighting the Roan settlement as an example of how a more balanced energy strategy can be achieved through thoughtful engagement that respects the importance of both public lands for fish, wildlife and recreation, and the need to develop domestic energy supplies. Their piece was carried in the Washington, DC based publication, The Hill - you can read it here. The op-ed has also run online with the Denver Post and in print with the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.
While the Roan settlement is an important step forward, it is still vital that BLM follow through as it revises its leasing plan for the Roan to adopt the "settlement alternative" that has been proposed. You can weigh in with BLM by signing our online petition for the Roan.
