Public Comment Sought for Pending Oil and Gas Lease Sale in Colorado
LAKEWOOD, Colo. — The Bureau of Land Management on Friday opened a 30-day public comment period on a proposal to include 13 oil and gas parcels, totaling 12,111 acres, in an upcoming lease sale in Colorado.
The solicitation for public comment, which is being handled through the bureau’s Colorado state office, comes after the agency completed its scoping on the parcels.
Now the bureau wants to hear from the public on everything from the parcels themselves to potential deferrals, and the related environmental analysis.
The comments will be used to complete the review of each parcel, the bureau said.
Leasing is the first step in the process to develop federal oil and gas resources.
Before development operations can begin, an operator must submit an application for a permit to drill detailing development plans.
The BLM reviews applications for permits to drill, posts them for public review, conducts an environmental analysis and coordinates with state partners and stakeholders.
All parcels that are included in a federal oil and gas lease sale include appropriate stipulations to protect important natural resources, the agency said.
The parcels BLM is analyzing, as well as maps and instructions on how to comment, are available on the BLM’s ePlanning website.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
