Salazar blocks BLM director over Roan Plateau

Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar on Wednesday officially blocked the confirmation of President Bush’s nominee to head the Bureau of Land Management. He vowed to relent only when Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne pledges that the department’s conflict with the state of Colorado over energy development won’t end in a “train wreck.”

Salazar, a Democrat, said he outlined his concerns in a meeting with Kempthorne and asked for assurance that the federal government “would not be running roughshod over the Roan Plateau and Colorado’s public lands.”

Specifically, Salazar wants the state to have “meaningful input” about the development of oil shale and for Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter to have time to review a plan to drill for natural gas on the scenic Roan Plateau.

Until then, Salazar said, he will prevent the Senate from voting on James Caswell’s nomination to head the BLM. Salazar officially placed a “hold” on Caswell Wednesday after the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to send his nomination to the full Senate.

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Salazar and several other Colorado Democrats are trying to block a plan approved earlier this summer that authorized up to 1,570 new natural gas wells on the Roan. The western Colorado landmark is rich in gas and oil shale reserves and beloved for its pockets of pristine backcountry and abundant wildlife.

The Denver Post