According to a , the provincial assessment concluded that the area’s potential mining ban will probably prevent 12 or 13 oil and gas well springs.
The federal government has announced it will club innovative cutting and mine operations from the Thompson Divide along Colorado’s American Slope, an area known for its climate features like mountaintops, foothills, eating lands, and animals.
U. S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said in a statement she has signed People Land Order 7939, in which the Biden administration has withdrawn roughly 221, 898 acres from mine, material, and thermal licensing laws for 20 years, subject to existing permissions.
Specifically, 197, 745 acres are in the White River, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests ( GMUG), along with over 15, 465 acres of Bureau of Land Management ( BLM) managed public lands and 8, 689 acres of reserved federal mineral interest under non- federal land.
According to Ms. Haaland, the goal is to preserve” special places”, like the Thompson Divide, for future generations to enjoy.
” The Thompson Divide area is a treasured landscape, valued for its wildlife habitat, clean air and water, and abundant recreation, ecological and scenic values”, she said.
Ms. Haaland added,” Today’s action has been the goal of a decades- long grassroots effort from a diverse stakeholder group, including hunters, anglers, ranchers, conservation groups, and local governments”.
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According to Ms. Haaland, there is no current or planned oil exploration or production in the area, and large portions of the Thompson Divide have n’t been available for lease to oil and gas for a while.
Some Locals Praise the Ban, Hope for Permanent Solution
Bill Fales, a local rancher from the Carbondale region in Colorado, told Mr. Bennet’s office that , the mining ban has taken over 17 years of community efforts, calling it “fantastic news”.
This halt will preserve the grazing that our ranches depend on so much. It will save our wildlife from additional pressures”, he said.
” This withdrawal will protect the beauty of this area, which is so important to our recreation economy, and it will protect the water supply for our towns and ranches,” he said.
Fourth-generation rancher and president of the Thompson Divide Coalition Jason Sewell said that despite everyone applauding the new protections, they are still insufficient. He anticipates the implementation of a permanent ban someday soon.
” We have worked for almost two decades to secure meaningful protection for the Divide, with ranchers, hunters, anglers, mountain bikers, off road vehicle users, and environmentalists coming together in an unlikely alliance to preserve the current uses of these lands”, he said.
We are committed to fighting for the Thompson Divide’s permanent protections under the CORE Act, but we are equally as excited to know that this landscape will continue to provide generations with recreational opportunities, jobs, and wildlife habitat.
