August 9 - Ritter Urges Public Land Protections

Ritter calls for halt to energy lease auction

Gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter called today for the federal government to halt plans to put nearly 20,000 acres of forest land on the auction block tomorrow for natural-gas development.

“The federal government promised to protect this land while states draft their own roadless protection plans,” Ritter said. “That process is still underway. It would be a terrible betrayal of states’ rights for the federal government to now put this forest land on the auction block.” Ritter joined U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, U.S. Rep. John Salazar, and a coalition of sportsmen and conservation groups in urging the Bush administration to remove the land from the monthly lease auction.

The forest lands in question lie within the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, Gunnison, White River, and Manti-La Sal national forests. The Bush administration said last year that it would temporarily protect roadless areas from mining, logging and energy drilling while states completed their roadless recommendations. Colorado’s 13-member, bipartisan roadless task force approved draft recommendations last week. The recommendations would allow for temporary road building for existing leases but not new leases. Final recommendations will be submitted to Gov. Owens in September, and he has until Nov. 13 to deliver Colorado’s final recommendations to the Bush administration.

“We must do everything possible to keep our public lands public and protect them from over-development,” Ritter said. “Rushing to make these lands available for development breaks a promise that the federal government made to the states.”

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Read all these additional articles about the BLM energy leases of roadless wilderness areas:

• Channel 7 News: Aug 10: Salazars, Ritter Ask For A Delay On Energy Leases
• Colorado Media Matters: Daily Sentinel reported Democrats' criticism of controversial oil-and-gas leasing in roadless areas, omitted Beauprez's support (Refers to Grand Junction Sentinel article for August 11.)
• ColoradoLib.com: Aug 15 entry: Auction of lands proceeds, despite protests
• Denver Post: Aug 11 article: BLM leases 17 parcels of roadless forest land
• Denver Post: Aug 11 editorial: A sound plan for state roadless areas
• Durango Herald: Aug 7 editorial: Roadless forests: Task force recommendations a good compromise
• Grand Junction Daily Sentinel: Aug 11 article: 17 of 22 roadless tracts sold at oil, gas auction
• Grand Junction Daily Sentinel: Aug 10 article: Dems press BLM to pull roadless acres
• Grand Junction Daily Sentinel: Aug 10 columnist: Taxpayers getting drilled on Colorado gas
• Rocky Mountain News: Aug 10 article: Oil, gas leases on block, despite protests
• SquareState.net: GOP Sells Colorado To Oil Companies
• Summit Daily News: Task force: no development on forest (Associated Press story)