BLM Completes Roan Plateau Lease Sale

Despite thousands of individual and group protests, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management went ahead and sold nearly $114 million in gas leases in Colorado’s Roan Plateau yesterday. “‘Today is a sad day for Colorado,’ [governor] Ritter said. ‘It’s a missed opportunity, one we don’t get back, one that falls squarely on the shoulders of the Bush administration.’ Although the sale is over, no leases will be issued until the BLM considers nearly 15,000 protests. That could take several months. The protesters include the state, some communities and cities, environmentalists, anglers and hunters.” From Conde Naste Portfolio.