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BLM Agrees to Resolve Drilling Issues on Otero Mesa – New Lease Schedule Comes as Sen. Bingaman Asks for Further Study of Grassl

Date
July 20, 2005
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WildEarth Guardians
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Climate + Energy  
#KeepItInTheGround

Wednesday, July 20, 2005
BLM Agrees to Resolve Drilling Issues on Otero Mesa – New Lease Schedule Comes as Sen. Bingaman Asks for Further Study of Grassl

The new leasing schedule, and the potential for further study of the aquifer, mean Otero Mesa might yet receive adequate protection..
Contact: WildEarth Guardians

The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance* Southwest Environmental Center* New Mexico Wildlife Federation* National Wildlife Federation* Natural Resources Defense Council* The Wilderness Society* WildEarth Guardians* Sierra Club

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Governor Bill Richardson, State Attorney General Patricia Madrid and conservation groups have reached an agreement with federal officials to hold off on issuing leases for oil and gas exploration on Otero Mesa until mid-February. This will give the federal court a chance to hear complaints that Bureau of Land Management drilling plans jeopardize the vast amount of fresh water below the sensitive grassland, the natural qualities, and wildlife.

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman has asked the U.S. Geological Survey to do a high-quality assessment of the fresh water aquifer beneath Otero Mesa. The prospect of oil and gas drilling makes it particularly important to assess the “untapped resource” of the Salt Aquifer, Bingaman said.

“Protecting the aquifer requires thoroughly studying its makeup and how water moves through the system,” Bingaman wrote USGS Acting Director P. Patrick Leahy. “In an arid state like New Mexico, we simply cannot take chances with a water supply as valuable as the Salt aquifer.”

The new leasing schedule, and the potential for further study of the aquifer, mean Otero Mesa might yet receive adequate protection, said Nathan Newcomer of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance.

“We are glad that BLM has agreed to resolve the real issues before trying to execute the lease,” said Nathan Newcomer of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance. “However pulling the parcel from the July 20th public sale would have truly demonstrated the BLM’s commitment to developing an environmentally sound lease strategy for the area.”

Under an agreement struck with Richardson, Madrid and conservationists, the BLM agreed to present issues to the U.S. District Court in Albuquerque for resolution on an expedited schedule. Briefings will be submitted by December 21, 2005. The agreement also stipulates that BLM will not formally issue any new leases for gas and oil exploration on the Otero Mesa until the Court rules or until February 15, 2006.

#### successfully bid on the Otero Mesa parcel today, however if the Governor hadn’t secured the agreement the BLM could have formerly executed the lease, and arguably, #### would have had right to develop the parcel.

“BLM has demonstrated through this lease sale and other recent actions that it will take every possible step to permit drilling of Otero Mesa,” said Nada Culver of The Wilderness Society. “We intend to continue monitoring the BLM for fear that it will mount yet another attack on Otero Mesa.”

The Governor and conservation groups contend that despite this decision, BLM’s attitude toward drilling in Otero Mesa hasn’t changed, as evidenced by today’s lease sale and BLM’s continued disregard for public comment regarding permanent protection of this area. In addition, BLM is continuing to permit flare tests of the existing wells, and permitted expansion of the gathering system (the oil and gas transportation system that includes significant amounts of equipment) for existing wells without any additional environmental analysis.

BLM Director Kathleen Clarke’s declaration that state/local regulations are not binding on the agency also calls into question BLM’s long range goals. For example, if BLM isn’t required to comply with the protections that the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division has imposed protecting the groundwater under Otero Mesa, what will become of this important natural resource?

Furthermore, Environmental Working Group (EWG), a national nonprofit research organization, conducted a two-and-a-half-year investigation of federal land records and found that the oil and gas industry has already enjoyed broad access to New Mexico’s public lands, with a negligible amount of oil and gas to show for it. From 1982 to 2004, the federal government leased or offered more than 27.8 million acres of public land in New Mexico. Despite this broad access, between 1989 and 2003, New Mexico’s public lands produced less than 18 days of U.S. oil consumption and just 126 days of natural gas consumption.

“I am convinced that without permanent protection, New Mexico’s natural heritage, drinking water and long-term economic health is in danger of slowly being whittled away due to the agency’s unsubstantiated emphasis on oil and gas drilling,” said Newcomer.

Despite strong local opposition, BLM’s Otero and Sierra Counties Resource Management Plan, released in May 2004, opened 95 percent of this wild 1- million-acre grassland to full-scale oil and gas development. As a result, Governor Richardson, State Attorney General Madrid and conservation groups brought separate legal actions challenging BLM’s management plan for oil and gas development of Otero Mesa. In addition, the Governor and conservation groups have separately protested BLM’s proposed sale of an oil and gas lease on Otero Mesa.

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ALBUQUERQUE, NM - Governor Bill Richardson, State Attorney General Patricia Madrid and conservation groups have reached an agreement with federal officials to hold off on issuing leases for oil and gas exploration on Otero Mesa until mid-February. This will give the federal court a chance to hear complaints that Bureau of Land Management drilling plans jeopardize the vast amount of fresh water below the sensitive grassland, the natural qualities, and wildlife.