U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release February 18, 2005		CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Press Secretary 202-228-3630 Jen Clanahan – Deputy Press Secretary 303-455-7600
BLM GRANTS COMMENT PERIOD EXTENSION ON ROAN PLATEAU AFTER SEN. SALAZAR'S REQUEST Denver, CO – U.S. Senator Ken Salazar sent a letter yesterday to Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton requesting that the public comment period be extended for an additional 30 days on the Roan Plateau Planning Area Resource Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Today the Bureau of Land Management announced that it has extended the deadline for public comment on the draft Roan Plateau Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/EIS) to April 11, 2005. The previous deadline had been March 4. “The Roan Plateau is a unique geological and bio-diverse area of Colorado. Before moving forward on the draft Environmental Impact Statement the interested public should have fair chance to comment,” said Salazar. “I applaud the Bureau of Land Management for extending the comment period 30 days – it will serve to ensure that everyone has had their chance to comment and it will help avoid any future confusion.” Senator Salazar’s letter requesting the extension is included below. The Honorable Gale A. Norton Secretary of the Interior U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20240 Dear Secretary Norton: I respectfully request that the public comment period be extended for an additional 30 days, throughout and including April 4, 2005, on the Roan Plateau Planning Area Resource Management Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). I understand that an extension would require the Bureau of Land Management to adjust its planning. However, there are some concerns about portions of the plan being delayed well into the comment period and confusion existing from various agencies on the official deadline for comments. While theses issues are not the fault of any one individual, they are an inconvenience to the interested public who wish to carefully study and evaluate this important impact statement. Thank you for considering this request. I look forward to working with you on crafting an acceptable plan for the Roan Plateau. Sincerely, Ken Salazar United States Senator CC: U.S. Senator Wayne Allard U.S. Representative John Salazar # # #