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BLM, Southern Ute Tribe Launch Review for Colorado Oil and Gas Development

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The US Bureau of Land Management and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe have begun planning to assess potential oil and gas development on tribal trust resources in southwestern Colorado, the agencies said Wednesday.

The BLM said that the proposed development would target the Mancos Shale formation, an underground rock layer about 7,000 feet beneath the surface in the San Juan Basin.

The planning area covers about 108,000 acres within the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, including about 64,000 acres of tribal trust minerals. The BLM said another 42,000 acres consist of fee minerals owned by individuals, companies, tribes or other entities.

The planning area contains no federal public lands or federal minerals. The BLM's decision will focus on potential development of the tribal trust minerals and the associated environmental impacts.

The planning process is intended to support the Southern Ute Tribe's long-term management of its mineral resources and the US government's trust responsibilities to the tribe. The Bureau of Indian Affairs will participate as a cooperating agency.

BLM said that oil and gas operations on the agency-managed public lands across Colorado contribute about $4.2 billion to the state's economy.

The agency said that the planning process does not itself authorize oil and gas development, but will guide the analysis and future decision-making concerning the proposed development of the tribe's trust minerals.

The agencies will hold a public scoping meeting on Sept. 24 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mountain Time at the Sky Ute Casino Resort in Ignacio, Colorado. Public comments will be accepted through Oct. 9.

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