This week, the Bureau of Land Management opened a 30-day public scoping period on a proposed oil and gas lease sale of up to 126,744 acres, including acreage on the Roan Plateau between De Beque and Rifle.
The BLM is seeking public input on 114 oil and gas parcels in Colorado that could be included in a December 2026 lease sale. Several parcels included are on the Roan Plateau north of Parachute, an area that has been the focus of past legal battles over oil and gas development.
In 2014, a landmark deal canceled federal oil and gas leases on the Roan Plateau in what was one of the largest lease buy-backs in BLM history, according to previous reporting. That decision was in response to lawsuits brought by conservation groups around the sale of oil and gas leases on the plateau dating back to 2008.
Carbondale-based nonprofit Wilderness Workshop said in a news release that the proposed fossil fuel development threatens past legal agreements around the Roan Plateau.
“West Slope communities fought for more than a decade to secure protections for the Roan Plateau and its sensitive wildlife habitat and watersheds, and we remain invested in sound stewardship of these incredible public lands in our backyard,” Senior Policy and Program Director for Wilderness Workshop Juli Slivka said in a statement.
According to the BLM, leasing is the first step toward developing oil and gas resources on federal land. Before drilling can begin, the operator must submit an application to obtain a drilling permit, including detailed development plans. Those applications are posted for public comment and reviewed by BLM, including an environmental analysis.
The parcels BLM is considering for the lease sale, as well as maps and instructions on how to comment, are available on the BLM website at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/Project-Home/?id=1891DE4D-0564-F111-A824-001DD8029ED0
The 30-day scoping period will end on Thursday, July 9, at which point the BLM ePlanning website will stop accepting comments.