Federal agency to open tens of thousands of acres of Colorado wilderness to oil drilling
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- Bureau of Land Management announced a June 16 lease sale covering 156,000 acres in northwestern Colorado, including more than 100 parcels.
- The lease sale includes migration corridors used by elk, pronghorn and mule deer that extend into southern Wyoming.
- Moffat County, billed as the “Elk Hunting Capital of the World,” warned that drilling could jeopardize its International Dark Sky designation and tourism.
- Rocky Mountain Wild compiled a 2,360‑line spreadsheet identifying 17 rare plants and endangered species—such as the black‑footed ferret and Colorado pikeminnow—potentially at risk from fossil‑fuel extraction.
- H.R. 1 legislation, signed by President Trump in 2025, spurred four large lease sales in Colorado, including the June 16 156,000‑acre sale.
Why it matters: Oil companies gain access to 156,000 acres for drilling, while wildlife, tourism, and dark‑sky designation risk loss, reducing Moffat County's tourism revenue and endangering species.
