April 17, 2008

Hunters, anglers get behind Salazars’ bill to protect Roan Plateau’s fish and game habitat

 While not perfect, legislation would phase in leasing and protect important areas

WASHINGTON, D.C.—A new bill introduced in the House and the Senate today by U.S. Rep. John Salazar and U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar would do much to protect important fish and wildlife habitat atop western Colorado’s Roan Plateau , according to Sportsmen for the Roan Plateau, a coalition of hunting and angling groups from all over Colorado.

“The bill is a big improvement over the Bureau of Land Management’s present plan, which would lease the bulk of the public land atop the plateau as soon as this August,” said Suzanne O’Neill of the Colorado Wildlife Federation. “The present plan would also allow drilling and road building in areas vital to native fish and big game herds—these are the resources that are irreplaceable to Colorado sportsmen and other wildlife enthusiasts.”

The Salazar bill would allow the energy industry to access the Roan’s subsurface natural gas reserves, but that access would be granted only in phases and require industry to drill for at least 90 percent of the gas available beneath each lease area before moving on to the next phase. Additionally, the bill requires comprehensive reclamation of land disturbed by drilling and the associated industrial-grade activity.

“We continue to believe the outstanding resources on the Roan deserve full protection,” said Dave Nickum, executive director for Colorado Trout Unlimited.  “We support this bill as an important step forward in protecting key habitat on the Roan including native cutthroat watersheds, and we thank the sponsors for their hard work.”

The Roan, which comprises only 1.5 percent of the entire Piceance Basin (90 percent of which is leased or available for leasing), is home to genetically pure populations of Colorado River cutthroat trout as well as trophy herds of elk and mule deer. The present BLM plan to lease and drill the Roan acknowledges serious impacts to wildlife and habitat, particularly to the Roan’s cutthroat trout fishery and mule deer. Under present plans, the entire public lands portion of the Roan will be leased as a single federal unit, and drilling would be allowed in sensitive deer and elk range and stream drainages where native cutthroat trout are found. The recent request for a restraining order by the state of Colorado to halt pipeline construction by four drilling companies who failed to contain massive sediment runoff, in addition to the spill of drilling mud and chemical-laden water reported in March at nearby drilling sites, have raised serious concerns among sportsmen, who question whether drilling can be done safely with respect to native fisheries and wildlife habitat on the Roan’s public lands.

“It’s unfortunate that it takes an act of Congress to protect such a special place, but that just demonstrates the aggressive nature of the energy industry and our government these days.” said Corey Fisher, energy field coordinator for Trout Unlimited. “With the BLM’s ill-conceived plan staring us in the face, this bill is our last option, and we’re grateful to the Salazars for standing with us on this issue. Sportsmen understand the value of the gas beneath the Roan, but it’s the resources above the ground that must be protected for future generations of hunters and anglers.”

Contact: 
Corey Fisher, (970) 589-9196
Suzanne O’Neill, (303) 919-3949
David Nickum (303) 345-3491