- A citizens’ committee that will advise the BLM’s Southwest Resource Advisory Council about the wisdom of creating an energy-development plan had its first meeting Thursday at the Dolores Public Lands Office.
- A conservation and advocacy organization says a new national monument near the Grand Canyon would offer $51 million in economic benefits annually.
A citizens’ committee that will advise the BLM’s Southwest Resource Advisory Council about the wisdom of creating an energy-development plan had its first meeting Thursday at the Dolores Public Lands Office. The meeting focused mostly on the process to follow, which includes four more meetings and a recommendation to the Southwest RAC. The committee, which includes seven members appointed by the Montezuma County commissioners, will decide whether to recommend that the BLM create a Master Leasing Plan to scrutinize oil and gas development on approximately 80,000 acres of public land in the county. A similar process is taking place in La Plata County.
A conservation and advocacy organization says a new national monument near the Grand Canyon would offer $51 million in economic benefits annually. The Center for Western Priorities says an economic analysis done on behalf of the center found that the proposed Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument would be “a major economic force in the region.” Arizona Congressman Raul Grijvala has introduced a bill to create the 1.7-million-acre monument, which would include parcels to the north and south of Grand Canyon National Park and would withdraw much of those parcels from future uranium-mining. The $51 million includes spending by visitors as well as revenues from grazing, mining, and forest products.