In an effort to address some of the public criticism of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) plan to allow unchecked oil and gas drilling in the greater Otero Mesa region, in northern New Mexico, the agency issued a “Supplement” to their Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on which they are accepting public comment from May 28 to June 28, 2004.
The Supplement to the FEIS provides almost no real changes to the agency plan and is a far cry from the more detailed Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement requested by scientists, conservation groups, and other interested individuals. There is no new scientific analysis on the impacts of oil and gas drilling on watersheds, ground water, big game, or other natural and cultural resources in the area. Further, the BLM rejected the Governor’s comments and Alternative Management Proposal presented in his “consistency review.” The Governor can appeal the decision to the National BLM Director, which he is expected to do.
The only real change to the FEIS in BLM’s Supplement is to make permanent a closure of 35,790 acres of Aplamado falcon habitat (the area was to be closed for five years under the FEIS released in January). However, the Supplement fails to explain how BLM chose the areas for protection and how BLM will be able to adequately protect other parts of potential falcon habitat not included in the closure.
State BLM Director Linda Rundell defended the BLM’s Otero Mesa drilling plan in a statement saying the plan “is one of the most restrictive plans for oil and gas development ever proposed.” However, in reality the BLM plan protects only a sliver of Otero Mesa and opens over 1.1 million acres to oil and gas leasing.
The BLM is only accepting comments via regular mail – they are not accepting email or faxed comments on the Supplement.
>> For more information on how to comment and to read the BLM’s “Supplement” to the Final EIS, go to: http://www.nm.blm.gov
Background
Encompassing more than 1.2 million acres of Chihuahuan Desert grassland, the greater Otero Mesa region 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 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 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.
Conservation groups filed a formal protest with the BLM in February raising a series of objections to the Final EIS. Governor Richardson also submitted a “consistency review” to the BLM that found that the agency's proposed action is not consistent with New Mexico state law and policy. The Governor provided the BLM with an Alternative Management Proposal that called for responsible oil and gas development in portions of the area while recommending significant portions of the area be off limits to drilling so as to protect the region’s most significant natural and cultural resources.
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