San Juan Citizen’s Northwest New Mexico
The San Juan Basin is a bulls-eye for energy development. Industry plans at least 15,000 new gas wells. We are working with local landowners and communities for responsible regulation of the oil and gas industry. Major concerns focus on the impacts from oil and gas development near homes and farms, and the impact of industrial scale oil and gas development on public lands managed by BLM and the Forest Service.

Our campaign to reform oil and gas development in New Mexico has three primary components...

La Plata and Archuleta Counties:
Plans to auction 16,000 acres of mineral rights underlying private and public land in western La Plata County (map) caught landowners and elected officials by surprise when announced by BLM in December, 2008. UPDATE: In response to overwhelming public outcry, BLM has pulled all of the leases from the scheduled February auction. However, even more leases could be on the way for Perins Peak State Wildlife Area (see Perins Peak map) later this year.

• Download landowner’s pamphlet [pdf]

Canyon of the Ancients National Monument
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is BLM’s premier archeological monument, with at least 20,000 documented archeological sites. But most of the Monument’s 165,000 acres are already leased for oil, gas, and carbon dioxide extraction. Pending drilling proposals could sink new wells in the heart of unparalleled cultural resource districts.

HD Mountains
The San Juan National Forest recently granted approval for dozens of new wells in and around the 35,000-acre HD Mountains Roadless Area. The HD Mountains comprise the last, large low-elevation roadless area in the San Juan Mountains, host the last, best stands of old-growth ponderosa pine forests, and provide critical winter range to thriving herds of deer and elk.