The Roan Plateau, a backcountry haven for wildlife and outdoor recreation, is threatened with imminent natural gas drilling. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued their Record of Decision (ROD) for the area in June, which calls for leasing the public lands within the planning area to the natural gas industry. While this puts the Roan Plateau at serious risk, we now have our most important opportunity to safeguard this special place for generations to come.

At the state level, Gov. Ritter’s office was granted an extra 120 days to review the BLM’s plan. In his comments to the BLM, Gov. Ritter called for additional protections for the Roan including:

• Expanding the size of four wildlife protection zones from the 21,034 acres in the final BLM recommendations to the full 36,184 acres the state originally urged.
• Reducing the areas permitted for surface drilling but not banning it entirely, and relying mostly on existing roads instead of allowing new ones — a plan that would permit recovery of 82 percent of the Roan's reserves with existing technology.
• Phasing in the leases over several years instead of leasing all the land at once, as the BLM first proposed. Leasing the most accessible sites first would probably yield more money for both the state and federal governments in the long run while allowing time for improved drilling techniques that could access the final fraction of the reserves beyond the reach of current methods.  

However, March 13th, the BLM announced that they had rejected Gov. Ritter's proposal and would begin moving forward with their original plan.

Further, protection of the Roan Plateau has become an issue of national importance, receiving support from major national media outlets such as the Washington Post and the New York Times, as well as from wildlife, sportsmen and conservation organizations throughout the nation. Most notably, thanks to the leadership of Congressmen John Salazar and Mark Udall, the proposed House energy bill (HB 3221) included a provision that would prohibit surface disturbance and occupancy for oil and gas equipment on the public lands atop the Plateau. However, when the House and Senate met to decide on common language for the energy bill, this provision was dropped. 

Wells drilled at the base of the Roan Plateau. Image by Skytruth

For years, Western Slope residents, local governments, sportsmen, recreation and conservation groups have demonstrated overwhelming public support for the Roan. We have reached a critical juncture in the effort to save the Roan Plateau, with a very diverse coalition working to win permanent protections for this endangered landscape.

This coalition, Save Roan Plateau, has produced a packet of information that is meant to provide a broad overview of the issues surrounding the Roan Plateau, including fact sheets, photos and maps. This information will highlight:

• The unique values of the Roan’s natural landscape, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities
• The economic benefits of protecting the Roan Plateau from inappropriate natural gas drilling
• The unprecedented public support for “keeping the Plateau as it is”
• The impacts of the BLM’s proposed plan on the Roan Plateau’s other values

Read the Roan Packet

Read the Roan Plateau Planning Area Final Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement

Read the Record of Decision on the Roan Plateau

See a Map of the Roan Plateau:

Map Highlighting Crucial Mule Deer Habitat

Map Highlighting Crucial Elk Habitat