Federal Government Bans New Drilling, Mining Operations in Colorado’s Thompson Divide

Congresswoman Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) speaks during the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing on her nomination to be Interior Secretary in Washington on Feb. 23, 2021. Jim Watson-Pool/Getty Images

The federal government has announced that it will bar new drilling and mining operations from the Thompson Divide along Colorado’s Western Slope, an area known for its environmental features such as mountaintops, foothills, grazing lands, and wildlife.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said in a statement that she has signed Public Land Order 7939, in which the Biden administration has withdrawn approximately 221,898 acres from mining, mineral, and geothermal leasing laws for 20 years, subject to existing permissions.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 more than 15,465 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) managed public lands and 8,689 acres of reserved federal mineral interest under nonfederal land.

According to Ms. Haaland, the goal is to preserve “special places” such as 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.

“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.”

The Biden administration announced plans to increase environmental protections for the region in 2022.

In August 2022, U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) led members of the Colorado congressional delegation in calling for a 20-year administrative withdrawal for the Thompson Divide area. According to Mr. Bennet, the plan to bar new drilling and mining operations resulted in more than 60,000 comments to the BLM, overwhelmingly in support of the decision.

Large parts of the Thompson Divide haven’t been available to oil and gas leasing for several years, and there is no current or planned oil exploration or production in the area, according to Ms. Haaland.

She claims that this action won’t affect water rights, activities on private lands, or valid existing rights, including the previously authorized Wolf Creek Storage Field, an underground gas storage area. According to a federal assessment, the ban will likely prevent 12 or 13 oil and gas wells from springing up in the area.

Some Locals Praise the Ban, Hope for Permanent Solution

Bill Fales, a local rancher from the state’s Carbondale region, told Mr. Bennet’s office that the mining ban has taken more than 17 years of community efforts, calling it “fantastic news.”

“This withdrawal will preserve the grazing so vital to our ranches. It will save our wildlife from additional pressures,” he said.

“It will protect the water supply for our towns and ranches, and this withdrawal will protect the beauty of this area that is so vital to our recreation economy.”

Jason Sewell, a fifth-generation rancher and president of the Thompson Divide Coalition, said that while everyone involved is celebrating the protections that are now in place, it still isn’t enough. He hopes that one day soon, a permanent ban will be put in place.

“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,” Mr. Sewell said.

“While we will continue to advocate for permanent protections for the Thompson Divide as afforded in the CORE Act, we could not be more thrilled to know that this landscape will continue for the next 20 years to provide the recreational opportunities, jobs, and wildlife habitat that it has for generations.”