State gets time to review Roan plan

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne has agreed to give state officials more time to comment on the Bureau of Land Management’s plan to allow drilling on Colorado’s Roan Plateau, Sen. Ken Salazar announced today.

The Colorado Democrat said he would lift his “hold” on BLM Director nominee James Caswell after Kempthorne agreed to his request for a 120-day extension of time for the state review and comment on the Resource Management Plan for the Roan Plateau.

“This is an important first step in working towards a cooperative relationship between the State of Colorado, the BLM and the Interior Department with respect to how we move forward on the Roan Plateau and responsible oil shale development and oil and gas leasing issues,” Salazar said in a release.
“Secretary Kempthorne gave me his commitment that the BLM will respond in good faith to the comments and concerns raised during the review period and address them.”

Salazar’s block of Caswell’s appointment was a last-ditch attempt to provide more time to comment on the plan.

Salazar – along with Democratic Reps. Mark Udall and John Salazar – took up the cause of Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat.

Ritter came into office as the BLM was finalizing its Roan plan, which was based on one shaped by then-Gov. Bill Owens’ administration. Ritter wanted 120 days to review that plan. The agency had set a timetable that allowed less than 30 days for comment.

Denver Post