On January 31, 2004, more than 700 people attended a public forum in Albuquerque to protest the Bureau of Land Management's decision to open the greater Otero Mesa region in southern New Mexico to oil and gas drilling. The diverse crowd, which included ranchers, religious leaders, Native Americans, authors, artists, elected officials and individuals from across the state was treated to a surprise appearance by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson who gave an impassioned speech about protection for Otero Mesa. The Governor then proceeded to sit on stage and sign an Executive Order directing all relevant New Mexico state agencies to provide support for the utmost protection of the Otero Mesa and Nutt grasslands as a matter of state policy.
>> Read Governor Richardson's Executive Order on Otero Mesa (PDF)
>> Read the Santa Fe New Mexican article on the Governor's executive order
Individuals, state agencies, conservation groups and other interested parties have until Monday February 9 to file formal protests with the BLM raising objections to the Final EIS that opens the greater Otero Mesa region to oil and gas development. At least two state agencies and several conservation groups are expected to do so. The Governor has an additional 30 days during which time he can submit documentation to the BLM assessing whether or not the agency's proposed action is consistent with state law and policy.
Background
The Otero Mesa region is just an hour's drive from El Paso and 90 minutes from Las Cruces and Alamogordo. Encompassing 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.
In 1998 due to a sharp increase in nominations for oil and gas leases in the region, BLM delayed leasing in the area until they could amend their 1986 Resource Management Plan (which did not anticipate large amounts of oil and gas development in the area) and complete a new Environmental Impact Statement assessing the effects of oil and gas development to the area. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement - developed under the Clinton Administration - was released in October 2000.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Otero Mesa on January 5. 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 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.
>> Read the BLM's Final Environmental Impact Statement at http://www.nm.blm.gov
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