County

BLM releases DEIS on previous oil, gas leases in White River Nat’l Forest

RBC I On Nov. 18, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that analyzes 65 existing oil and gas leases located on the White River National Forest, including leases in the Thompson Divide area.
The 49-day public comment period on the DEIS began when the Environmental Protection Agency’s Notice of Availability for the Draft EIS published in the Federal Register on Nov. 20 and will run through Jan. 8.

“We appreciate the effort of the local community in this discussion,” said BLM Colorado State Director Ruth Welch. “We will continue to work toward finding a path forward that balances energy development and conservation while recognizing the White River National Forest’s planning efforts.”
The EIS presents five alternatives for the public to provide comment on, ranging from no changes to the existing leases to canceling them in their entirety. The final alternative the BLM ultimately selects may incorporate components of two or more of the alternatives presented in the Draft EIS.
The Proposed Action in the EIS (Alternative 4) tracks the proposed decision in the U.S. Forest Service’s 2014 Draft Record of Decision with respect to areas that would be open and closed to future oil and gas leasing in the White River National Forest. The Proposed Action would cancel all or part of 25 existing leases in areas closed to future leasing by the Forest Service.
“We appreciate the input we have received from the public and local governments throughout this process, and we look forward to continuing public interest and input,” said Colorado River Valley Field Manager Karl Mendonca. “The most effective public comments on this Draft EIS will be specific to the alternatives and analysis in the EIS.”
 The leases in question are almost entirely on land managed by the U. S. Forest Service. The BLM is undertaking this EIS to address deficiencies in the environmental analyses used to support the issuance of those leases previously as identified by the Interior Board of Land Appeals in a 2007 decision.
While the U.S. Forest Service determines which of its lands are available for oil and gas leasing and conducts the environmental analysis for those availability decisions, the BLM must either formally adopt the Forest Service analysis or perform its own analysis prior to issuing oil and gas leases based on those determinations. For 65 of the existing leases in the White River National Forest, the BLM did not formally adopt the U.S. Forest Service’s analysis nor did it conduct its own prior to issuing those leases.
The EIS process currently underway addresses that deficiency.
Separate from the BLM’s process for the 65 existing leases, the U.S. Forest Service has recently completed its own EIS looking at future leasing in the White River National Forest. The BLM’s EIS incorporates much of the information and analysis from the U.S. Forest Service EIS.
The EIS will serve as a guide for future leasing in the White River National Forest. The Forest Service released its draft Record of Decision in December 2014. Additional information can be found on the Forest Service’s website at www.fs.usda.gov/whiteriver.
The BLM will host three public meetings on the DEIS from 4-7 p.m., at the following locations: Dec. 14: Glenwood Springs Community Center, 100 Wulfson Rd., Glenwood Springs; Dec. 15, DeBeque Elementary School, 730 Minter Ave., De Beque; and Dec. 16, Roaring Fork High School, 2270 Hwy 133, Carbondale
Additional information about the EIS is available at: www.blm.gov/co/crvfo.
Comments on the Draft EIS need to be received by Jan. 8, 2016, and may be emailed to [email protected]; faxed to 970-876-9090; or mailed to BLM Colorado River Valley Field Office, Attn: WRNF Leases, 2300 River Frontage Rd., Silt, Colo. 81652.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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