Governor John Hickenlooper, U.S. Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, and Congressman Scott Tipton pressed U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell today to approve a collaborative, balanced settlement to the long-running dispute over the future of the Roan Plateau. Hickenlooper, Udall, Bennet and Tipton said the settlement — worked out by conservationists, the energy industry and community stakeholders — offers “a unique opportunity” to allow for responsible development of the plateau’s natural resources and protection of sensitive wildlife habitat.
“This agreement represents the collaboration of the oil and gas industry, environmental organizations, many local governments, the state of Colorado and our respective offices,” Hickenlooper, Udall, Bennet and Tipton wrote. “While the settlement requires a temporary drawback of state and federal funds, collaborators and the state of Colorado have committed to ensuring that local governments will not ultimately lose any resources they realized through the initial lease sale that prompted the litigation. With this last important condition, the local governments in question support the proposed agreement.
“We request that you take prompt action to finalize the proposed settlement agreement.”
The battle over how to balance the development and protection of the Roan Plateau, home to both wildlife and natural gas reserves, has gone on for more than a decade. The settlement, which Hickenlooper, Udall, Bennet and Tipton support, would balance those competing interests by safeguarding the most ecologically sensitive parts of the Roan Plateau and allowing for the orderly development of the area’s natural gas resources.
Local leaders from Mesa County and Garfield County also support the settlement.
Here is the full letter:
Secretary Jewell,
We are writing to request your assistance in finalizing a legal settlement to govern Western Colorado’s Roan Plateau. The land underlying the Plateau contains significant natural gas resources, while the Plateau also contains important habitat for elk, mule deer, and native Colorado cutthroat trout. These oftentimes competing resources have made the Roan a center of controversy for well over a decade.
Today, a unique opportunity exists to resolve that controversy. As you know, parties to the ongoing Roan lawsuit have proposed a settlement to protect the most ecologically sensitive parts of the Roan, while providing for the orderly development of the area’s natural gas resources. This proposed settlement would resolve the ongoing lawsuit and end the uncertainty that has plagued the local communities and industry.
This agreement represents the collaboration of the oil and gas industry, environmental organizations, many local governments, the state of Colorado and our respective offices. While the settlement requires a temporary drawback of state and federal funds, collaborators and the state of Colorado have committed to ensuring that local governments will not ultimately lose any resources they realized through the initial lease sale that prompted the litigation. With this last important condition, the local governments in question support the proposed agreement.
We request that you take prompt action to finalize the proposed settlement agreement. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,