The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Otero Mesa on January 5, 2004. The FEIS is a dramatic departure from the draft proposal commented on by the general public. The final proposal more than doubles the available acreage open to drilling (from approximately 779,000 acres to 1.4 million acres), opens critical wildlife habitat to oil and gas development and provides inadequate protections for the rare grasslands in the region. The FEIS ignores the strong vocal opposition to drilling in Otero Mesa voiced by thousands of New Mexicans, including New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, five former state Game and Fish Department directors, the heads of several sportsmen's groups, area ranchers and five former members of the BLM's own Resource Advisory Committee.
When compared to the Draft EIS, the final plan includes an overall reduction in protections for various sensitive resources in the region including grasslands, wildlife habitat, water and cultural resources. It also removes many of the specific reclamation and mitigation requirements included in the draft plan and instead incorporates flexible and non-specific standards to be enforced by the BLM for how oil and gas development will occur in sensitive areas.
A 30-day public protest period is underway and Gov. Richardson has 60 days to review the FEIS and make a determination as to whether the final plan is consistent with state law and policy.
Background
The Greater Otero Mesa is just an hour's drive from El Paso and 90 minutes from Las Cruces or Alamogordo. More than 1.2 million acres of Chihuahuan Desert grassland, Otero Mesa extends eastward from the Hueco Mountains to the Guadalupe Mountains and north from the Texas border into New Mexico. This vast and complex grassland is home to many species of wildlife, native plants and independent cattle ranches that have been in operation for generations. More than a half a million acres of potential wilderness have been identified in the region.
A Resource Management Plan for this region was developed by the BLM in 1986, however, in 1998 due to a sharp increase in nominations for oil and gas leases, BLM delayed further leasing in the area until a plan amendment and new Environmental Impact Statement assessing the impacts of oil and gas development to the area could be completed. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement -- developed under the Clinton Administration -- was released in October 2000.
For More Information
- Coalition for Otero Mesa -- information about Otero Mesa and the region's unique resources and values
- Read the BLM's Final Environmental Impact Statement
- Read recent articles about the BLM's final decision to allow drilling in Otero Mesa go to:
- Stephen Capra, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, 505-843-8696
- Mary Wiper, Sierra Club, 505-243-7767
- Oscar Simpson, New Mexico Wildlife Federation, 505-345-0117
- Kevin Bixby, Southwest Environmental Center, 505-522-5552
- Pam Eaton or Nada Culver, The Wilderness Society, 303-650-5818
