WildEarth Guardians

Wednesday, September 6, 2006
Bureau of Land Management Comes Under Fire As New Report Documents the Agency's Mismanagement of New Mexico's Public Lands

Endangered Aplomado Falcon, Pronghorn Habitat, Fragile Grassland Ecosystem, and Prime Recreation Lands Under Threat to Oil & Gas Leasing
Contact: Coalition for Otero Mesa

New Mexico Wilderness Alliance* Sierra Club* WildEarth Guardians* The Wilderness Society* Southwest Environmental Center* Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

ALBUQUERQUE (September 6, 2006) - A new report released today - Hollow Promises in Our Land of Enchantment- Why the Bureau of Land Management Can't Be Trusted to Protect Otero Mesa - documents the New Mexico Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) past and likely future mismanagement of the State’s public lands, including Otero Mesa.

Drawing from the agency’s own track record, the report shows that the BLM has played a shell game with the public regarding its environmental analysis of the impacts from oil and gas drilling.

“No matter how carefully done, oil and gas development will harm Otero Mesa,” stated biologist Dr. Walt Whitford. According to Whitford, “The assumption that Otero Mesa can be ecologically restored after significant [oil and gas] disturbance is the heart of the BLM’s proposed plan for oil and gas development of the area. However, desert grasslands are inherently difficult, if not impossible, to restore, and care should be taken not to disturb them in the first place.”

Drawing both from the agency’s oil and gas development plan for Otero Mesa, and past behavior by the BLM and the oil and gas industry in developments in northwest and southeast New Mexico, the report concludes that:

• The BLM routinely puts off environmental analysis until the well permitting stage, by which time it usually just rubberstamps development without any further consideration or requirements for protection of the environment;
• The agency consistently neglects to plan oil and gas development in such a way as to minimize the ecological footprint through methods such as directional drilling and wellpad twinning;
• There is a well-documented statewide pattern in which the BLM sets mitigation requirements via a planning document, but then regularly exempts oil and gas companies from having to implement mitigation in the course of drilling;
• The BLM routinely violates federal laws in the course of managing its oil and gas program, through systematic violations of the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act;
• The BLM has a misplaced reliance on the oil and gas industry’s good behavior to protect fragile places such as the mesa. Examples ranging from 1,400 cases of groundwater contamination to HEYCO and Yates Petroleum’s battles against environmental safeguards counsel against relying on this industry to preserve our Land of Enchantment’s special places; and that
• Otero Mesa has a host of irreplaceable qualities that must be safeguarded and cannot realistically be protected in the face of oil and gas drilling. Encompassing approximately 1.2 million acres, Otero Mesa is located in southern New Mexico. The area is considered North America's largest and wildest Chihuahuan Desert grassland remaining on public lands, and is among the most biologically rich and diverse desert ecosystems in the world.

The report further points out that while Otero Mesa contains an abundance of wildlife and wildlands, the area does not contain significant amounts of oil and gas, as was summed up by New Mexico BLM State Director Linda Rundell when she stated that, “I think there’s a huge question mark about whether there’s ever going to be an economically viable resource that anyone will want to produce… It’s really small potatoes.”

“Oil and gas development will irrevocably alter the character of Otero Mesa, and the amount of natural gas ultimately produced is likely to be insignificant in comparison to U.S annual demand,” stated Whitford.

Also under fire is the BLM’s proposal to use satellite images, Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies to help manage public lands, specifically as an automated tracking system to ensure lessee compliance on Otero Mesa.

“In order to successfully implement a satellite imagery and GIS tracking system, it would require a dedicated workstation with up-to-date image processing software, run by personnel trained in using these tools and experienced with remote sensing (including image acquisition, digital image processing and analysis) and GIS mapping (including database design, data capture, database construction, spatial analysis and modeling),” stated John Amos with SkyTruth, a national nonprofit that promotes environmental awareness and protection with remote sensing and digital mapping technology.

“BLM’s proposal is vague, untested, and doesn’t provide any details about how it will be funded, implemented, and sustained over many years” continued Amos.

“Because Otero Mesa is such a special place, and because the BLM’s promises to protect its fragile grasslands, wildlife, and water are in serious doubt, our conclusion is that Otero Mesa should be withdrawn from oil and gas drilling,” stated Nicole Rosmarino, Conservation Director with WildEarth Guardians and the report’s co-author.

“Otero Mesa is fragile - there is no room or excuse for mistakes in this area,” stated Nada Culver, co-author and senior counsel for The Wilderness Society. “As this report shows, the risks to Otero Mesa from oil and gas development are unacceptable. Some places should not be drilled, and Otero Mesa is one of those places.”

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For more information on Otero Mesa visit these resources on the Otera Mesa website:

Otero Mesa website The Last Desert Grasslands - The Biological Case for Protecting Otero Mesa (PDF)

A commentary on the proposed use of satellite imaging on the Wilderness website:

 BLM’s Proposed Monitoring Plan for Otero Mesa, New Mexico: Q&A with John Amos (PDF)

Contacts: John Amos, SkyTruth, 304/260-8886 Dr. Walt Whitford, 505/521-1358 Nicole Rosmarino, WildEarth Guardians, 505/988-9126, ext. 156 Nada Culver, the Wilderness Society: 303/650-5818, ext. 117