In August 2023, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released their draft for a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to the Colorado River Valley and Grand Junction Resource Management Plans (RMPs); additional information can be found on the BLM’s website and in this Denver Post article. The SEIS will revisit oil and gas management decisions for nearly 2 million acres of federal minerals in western Colorado and will specifically analyze the climate impacts of leasing and development on public lands.

Background and Process

  • BLM finalized the Colorado River Valley and Grand Junction RMPs in 2015, after nearly decade-long planning processes. These plans dictate how nearly 2 million acres of public lands and minerals, largely within the Piceance Basin, will be managed for the next 20 years. In addition to the thousands of oil and gas wells that already exist in the area, BLM anticipated thousands of new wells would be drilled in coming years. The plans created a presumption that oil and gas can and should be the dominant use, even in places where other incompatible values exist and areas where BLM has concluded that oil and gas development is unlikely, and opened 80% of the planning area (1.5 million acres) to oil and gas leasing and development.
  • In 2016, Wilderness Workshop and conservation partners filed a lawsuit on the Colorado River Valley RMP challenging BLM’s failure to analyze the climate impacts of its decision, or to consider alternatives that would limit new oil and gas leasing in order to protect other public lands values such as wildlife habitat, recreation, and wilderness. In 2018, we prevailed in federal court and the agency was ordered to reconsider portions of the plan pertaining to oil and gas development and climate analysis.
  • In 2019, Wilderness Workshop and conservation partners filed a similar lawsuit on the Grand Junction RMP. BLM voluntarily remanded the oil and gas portions of that plan as well, as similar flaws plagued both RMPs.
  • As a result of these two lawsuits, BLM is now conducting an SEIS for both RMPs in order to more thoroughly analyze the climate impacts of new oil and gas development and to consider closing additional public lands to oil and gas leasing.

The SEIS is a public process conducted pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which will include the following opportunities for public participation:

  • Scoping: The BLM provided a 30-day scoping period during which the public could submit comments identifying key issues for the agency to address in the SEIS process. WW rallied our members and submitted formal comments.
  • Draft SEIS: The BLM released a Draft SEIS for public review and comment. It includes the agency’s analysis of potential oil and gas impacts on resources such as wildlife, water and climate, and alternatives for opening and closing public lands to oil and gas leasing. There is a 90-day public comment period on the Draft SEIS. WW and our partner Western Colorado Alliance (WCA) are hosting Public Comment Writing Workshops on Oct. 18 (Rifle) and 19 (Glenwood Springs). Please join us! Public Comments are due by Nov. 1, 2023. Go to our action alert page for an easy-to-submit public comment form.
  • Final SEIS: The BLM will then release a Final SEIS, which incorporates comments received on the Draft SEIS. The Final SEIS will identify a proposed management plan, and there will be a formal protest period and governor’s consistency review. The BLM intends to release the Final SEIS in winter 2023.
  • Record of Decision (ROD): The BLM will then sign a ROD and begin implementing the new plan. The agency intends to have the plan complete by spring 2024.

Why the SEIS matters to Western Coloradans

The SEIS planning area, which includes the entire Grand Junction and Colorado River Valley field offices, includes 1.5 million acres of public land and 2 million acres of federal minerals in western Colorado. This region contains some of our state’s most important wildlife habitat, treasured recreation areas, wildlands that should be protected for future generations, critical water resources, famed Colorado scenery, and Indigenous cultural sites.

Beyond the on-the-ground values of these public lands, oil and gas development is a major driver of climate change that is already impacting our communities, agriculture, water, wildlife, and way of life. The SEIS is an opportunity for the BLM to take a hard look at the climate impacts of oil and gas drilling and make decisions to minimize and mitigate those impacts, including severe drought and massive wildfires, for the benefit of Colorado’s future.