More than a dozen years ago, an unusual coalition of ranchers, outdoorsmen, recreationists, local government leaders and environmentalists banded together to try to prevent oil and gas development in the Thompson Divide area.<\/p>\n
The Thompson Divide Coalition has had success, ultimately convincing federal land managers to cancel some two dozen leases in the sprawling backcountry south of Glenwood Springs and west of Carbondale that were issued without adequate impact reviews.<\/p>\n
The coalition\u2019s grassroots influence also helped sway a U.S. Forest Service decision in 2015 to place the lands off limits to new oil and gas leases for at least the next two decades.<\/p>\n
What hasn\u2019t happened, yet, is for the powers that be, both in Garfield County and in Washington, D.C., to get behind some reasonable way to place permanent protections on those lands.<\/p>\n
The latest attempt by U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado to do that \u2014 as part of the comprehensive Colorado Outdoor Recreation Economy (CORE) Act \u2014 is worthy of that broad-based political support.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, the Garfield County commissioners reversed their previous stance in support of permanent protections for the Thompson Divide, as long as it was preceded by fair compensation for existing lease holders.<\/p>\n
The fair compensation piece continues to be built into the CORE Act, even garnering the support of one of the two remaining lease holders in the area, Gunnison Energy.<\/p>\n
But, it\u2019s the permanency of closing off a section of land for future leasing that seems to be the sticking point for the commissioners.<\/p>\n
Permanent is a long time, indeed, though it should be noted that nothing is ever truly permanent when it comes to anything under federal control. It just makes it harder to undo, which is appropriate in the case of the Thompson Divide.<\/p>\n
Recently, the commissioners also indicated that, if a provision could be added to the legislation allowing for methane<\/a> escaping from old coal mines in the region to be captured and put to use, they could get behind the bill.<\/p>\n If that\u2019s what it takes \u2014 and it does sound like something worth serious consideration based on emerging technologies \u2014 perhaps that\u2019s the compromise needed to take this next critical step toward permanent protections.<\/p>\n There remain many reasons to keep large-scale \u2014 or even medium- or small-scale energy development \u2014 away from the Thompson Divide.<\/p>\n A 2011 water quality study<\/a> confirmed the pristine nature of water resources coming from the Thompson Divide area and feeding the Crystal and Roaring Fork rivers.<\/p>\n Economic studies have also shown that the region is crucial<\/a> in supporting agricultural operations and recreational activities such as hunting, fishing, mountain biking and hiking \u2014 all of which benefit the region\u2019s economy, and very likely more so than energy development would.<\/p>\n