New Oil and Gas Protections for Thompson Divide

Contacts:

• Jay Chancellor, Colorado Advocacy Campaigns Manager – jay.chancellor@tu.org

• Steve Kandell, Director of the National Campaign Support Center – steve.kandell@tu.org

• Nick Gann, Rocky Mountain Communications Director – nick.gann@tu.org

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that nearly 225,000 acres of public land in the Thompson Divide has been withdrawn from all forms of mineral entry, appropriation, and disposal for the next twenty years.

“The Thompson Divide is home to the headwaters of some of Colorado’s most storied trout streams including the Roaring Fork, the Crystal, and the North Fork of the Gunnison,” said Jay Chancellor, Colorado Advocacy Campaigns Manager for Trout Unlimited. “Trout Unlimited has worked for over a decade to secure long-term protections for one of the largest expanses of roadless forest land in Colorado and we are encouraged by the Administration’s decision to prohibit new mineral development in this area for the next twenty years.”

The mineral withdrawal excludes all prospective oil and gas operations in Thompson Divide for a twenty-year period but recognizes pre-existing leases and allows those activities to continue. The public land order includes protection for the White River and Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests – public lands that bring over 10 million visitors to the state each year. The 20-year withdrawal is authorized by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, but only Congress can legislate a permanent withdrawal.

“This is a historic step in preserving critical habitat in one of the last wild places in Colorado. While permanent protections are still needed for the Divide, a twenty-year withdrawal will not only support fish and wildlife, but will also boost Colorado’s outdoor recreation economy, which generates over $37 billion in consumer spending annually,” said Steve Kandell, Director of National Campaign Support Center at Trout Unlimited.

Protect the Thompson Divide – Speak Out for Trout Today

The Thompson Divide stands – as its name suggests – atop a drainage divide, with streams flowing toward the North Fork Gunnison, Crystal, Roaring Fork, and Colorado Rivers depending on which portion of the Divide you are standing. The area supports some of Colorado’s most pristine trout waters and critical habitat for big game. In his travels in western Colorado, President Theodore Roosevelt described the Thompson Divide as “great, wild country” and today it remains one of the largest expanses of roadless forest in Colorado. Trout Unlimited has been working for years to secure long-term protections for the Thompson Divide.

Today, you can help protect this valuable landscape from the impacts of oil and gas development. The US Forest Service is currently taking public comment through January 8 on its proposal to withdraw the Thompson Divide from mineral extraction for the next twenty years. Please visit the Forest Service’s online public comment page and voice your support for protecting the Thompson Divide.

The Forest Service issued a draft environmental assessment evaluating the proposal and with two identified alternatives:  Alternative A, which would keep existing leases in place but withdraw the area from new mineral entry for the next twenty years, and Alternative B, which would keep the area open to new oil and gas leasing.  The proposed withdrawal (Alternative A) would protect nearly 225,000 acres in the Thompson Divide, encompassing a total of 1,550 stream miles including 83 miles of native cutthroat trout streams, 12 acres of cutthroat lake habitat, and nearly four and a half miles of Gold Medal trout fishing waters along the Roaring Fork. TU supports Alternative A to protect these outstanding fishery resources and their watersheds.

The Forest Service comment page includes a basic form where you can provide your contact information and then enter your comments online.  Some points to consider sharing in your comments include:

·         Urge the Forest Service to adopt Alternative A to ensure protection of the outstanding habitats within the Thompson Divide.

·         Watersheds in the Thompson Divide support vital native trout habitat and feed some of Colorado’s most famed trout rivers including the Crystal, Roaring Fork and Colorado.  These areas not only support important fish habitats but also are a key driver of local economies.

·         The proposed withdrawal strikes an appropriate balance, respecting existing leases while ensuring that new leasing does not occur for the next 20 years and jeopardize the area’s critical habitat values.

·         Consider sharing any personal experiences you have with the Thompson Divide, or with the downstream waters that rely on it as a source of high-quality water.

While permanent protection of this area can only be achieved by an act of Congress, and TU continues to support passage of the CORE Act from Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper and Congressman Neguse, this withdrawal is a vital step in the right direction and will conserve the Thompson Divide for the next 20 years while we continue to work toward permanent protection.

Click below to visit the Forest Service public comment form and add your voice in support of protecting the Thompson Divide.

The Thompson Divide: Standing at the Summit

Photo: Trout Unlimited www.tu.org

Excerpt from Aspen Times, read the full article here.

By Scott Willoughby

In a landlocked rise of rock and ice, Thompson Divide flows like a vein of Colorado gold. This vast sweep of lustrous aspen groves and lush conifer forests surrounded by the iconic sentinel of Mount Sopris, the towering Elk Mountains, rugged Ragged Wilderness and verdant Grand Mesa is flanked by open, grassy meadows and cool, clean trout streams offering a treasure of precious, wild habitat. The 221,000-acre backcountry expanse serves as one of the most pristine natural environments in the West, and among the most deserving of preservation.

Described as a "Colorado Crown Jewel" by Gov. John Hickenlooper himself, the rolling, mid-elevation backcountry is home to a rare combination of natural and recreational resources in the heart one the nation's most popular outdoor playgrounds. Because it supports recreation, ranching and other local industries, the Thompson Divide produces an estimated 300 jobs and pumps more than $30 million into the local economy, much of it during the fall harvest and hunting seasons when the hillsides bustle with life.

Critical keystone habitat supports some of the state's largest herds of Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer and dozens of other species benefiting from one of the densest concentrations of roadless areas in the West. Native cutthroat trout line the vital cold water streams and ponds that continue to serve as a water source for the husky bruins once hunted by conservation champion President Theodore Roosevelt more than 100 years ago.

A new chapter was added to this storied landscape recently when a coalition of local government officials, businesses, ranchers, sportsmen and citizen groups successfully orchestrated the cancellation of 25 oil and gas drilling leases improperly issued in the early 2000s within Thompson Divide's boundaries and settled a lawsuit challenging the cancellation last summer. The leases covered more than 21,000 acres (about 33 square miles), featuring prime big game habitat and native cutthroat trout streams in watersheds providing source water to the Crystal and Roaring Fork rivers, as well as local communities.

But the battle is far from won. Keep reading.

Can’t access the full article, try on Trout Unlimited.

Thompson Divide protections preserved in settlement

The BLM announced some good news for Colorado’s native cutthroat trout and big game populations on June 22 after reaching a settlement in the lawsuit filed by oil and gas company SG Interests over the cancellation of 18 leases to drill in the Thompson Divide area of the White River National Forest near Carbondale, Colorado. The leases covered more than 21,000 acres (about 33 square miles) featuring prime big game habitat and native cutthroat trout streams in watersheds providing source water to the Crystal and Roaring Fork Rivers, as well as local communities.

Thompson Creek in the Thompson Divide.  Photo: Josh Duplechian

Leases to drill in the Thompson Divide were improperly issued by BLM in 2003. A coalition of county and local governments, ranchers, local businesses, sportsmen and citizen groups – including Trout Unlimited – mobilized and worked for years to protect the Thompson Divide. BLM ultimately recognized that the leases had been issued in violation of the law and cancelled them in 2016. 

In early 2017, SG Interests filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to challenge BLM’s decision. Under the settlement, SG agrees to dismiss its case in exchange for a payment of $1.5 million from the federal government. The settlement compensates SG for investments made toward developing the leases but leaves the 2016 lease cancellations in effect.

“SG’s leases were issued in violation of the law, and these lands never should have been leased in the first place,” said Michael Freeman, a staff attorney at Earthjustice representing Wilderness Workshop and Colorado Trout Unlimited.  “BLM properly cancelled the leases in 2016. We’re glad to see that SG is dropping its challenge to those cancellations.”

The Thompson Divide area stretches across Pitkin, Garfield and Gunnison Counties and encompasses no fewer than nine National Forest roadless areas. The area includes habitat for deer, elk and a variety of sensitive wildlife species, including cold water streams vital to native cutthroat trout. Because it supports recreation, ranching and other local industries, the Thompson Divide produces an estimated 300 jobs and pumps more than $30 million into the local economy.

“From its prime big game habitat to unique native cutthroat trout fisheries, the Thompson Divide is a Colorado treasure for hunters and anglers,” said David Nickum, executive director of Colorado Trout Unlimited. “For years, sportsmen and women have fought to protect these lands — so we’re pleased that BLM and SG have reached an agreement that will keep them intact.”

While the settlement is an important step toward protecting the region, it does not end the threat posed by oil and gas development. Sen. Michael Bennet introduced legislation last year (S.481 - Thompson Divide Withdrawal and Protection Act of 2017) to permanently protect the Thompson Divide. With the specter of SG's 2003 leases and lawsuit no longer hanging over the area, Colorado TU hopes that his bill can gain momentum so that this treasured landscape can receive the lasting protection it deserves.