THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY
COALITION TO PROTECT AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS *
NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL *
ROCKY MOUNTAIN WILD
May 14, 2025
BLM New Mexico State Office
Attention: State Director
301 Dinosaur Trail
Santa Fe, NM 87508
Re: Q3 July 2025 Protest: Lease Parcels for the New Mexico Bureau of Land Management 2025 Third Quarter Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sale (DOI- BLM-NM-P020-2024-1408-EA) (Carlsbad Field Office)
To Whom It May Concern:
The Wilderness Society, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Rocky Mountain Wild respectfully protest the below-listed parcels in the New Mexico Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Third Quarter 2025 Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sale. The reference identification for this lease sale is DOI- BLM-NM-P020-2024-1408-EA. On April 14, 2025, the BLM released the Environmental Assessment1BUREAU OF LAND MGMT., ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, DOI-BLM-NM-P020-2024-1408-EA (Apr. 14, 2025) [hereinafter EA]., Finding of No Significant Impact2BUREAU OF LAND MGMT., FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT, DOI-BLM-NM-P020-2024-1408-EA (Apr. 14, 2025) [hereinafter FONSI]., and Notice of Competitive Lease Sale3BUREAU OF LAND MGMT., NOTICE OF COMPETITIVE OIL AND GAS INTERNET LEASE SALE (Apr. 14, 2025)., offering 16 parcels containing 7,501.76 acres. For the reasons stated herein, our groups protest all parcels being offered4Please see the list of all parcels protested in Appendix B. We are not protesting NM-2025-07-0490 because, as the BLM states, it was removed from the sale. See FONSI at 11 n.3..
This protest is filed on behalf of the above-listed organizations. Contact information for each organization filing this protest is as follows:
Ben Tettlebaum
Director & Senior Staff Attorney
The Wilderness Society
1660 Wynkoop Street, Suite 1150
Denver, CO 80202
(720) 647-9568
Phil Francis
Chair
The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
2 Massachusetts Ave NE
Unit 77436
Washington, DC 20013
(202) 819-8622
Ed****@********ps.org
Amy Mall
Director, Fossil Fuels
Natural Resources Defense Council
1152 15th St, NW, Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20005
am***@**dc.org
Matt Sandler
Legal Director
Rocky Mountain Wild
1536 Wynkoop St, Suite 900,
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 546-0214
ma**@***************ld.org
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