THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY
COALITION TO PROTECT AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS *
NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION *
NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL*
ROCKY MOUNTAIN WILD
May 21, 2025
SUBMITTED VIA E-PLANNING
Melanie Barnes State Director
Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico
(505) 954-2222
Project Contacts:
Catherine Brewster cb*******@*lm.gov
(505) 954-217
Cody McCullah cm*******@*lm.gov
Allison Nelson ae******@*lm.gov
Sarah Scott ss****@*lm.gov
(505) 564-7689
Re: Comments on the Draft Environmental Assessments and Findings of No Significant Impact for the Bureau of Land Management New Mexico 2025 Fourth Quarter Competitive Oil & Gas Lease Sale (DOI-BLM-NM-F010-2025-0011-EA & DOI-BLM-NM-P000-2025-0001-EA)
To Whom It May Concern:
Thank you for the opportunity to submit these comments on the Draft Environmental Assessments (Draft EAs)1 BUREAU OF LAND MGMT., PECOS DISTRICT OFFICE OIL AND GAS LEASE SALE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, EDDY AND ROOSEVELT COUNTIES, NEW MEXICO, QUARTER 4 2025, DOI-BLM-NM-P000-2025-0001-EA [hereinafter PECOS DRAFT EA]; FARMINGTON AND RIO PUERCO FIELD OFFICES COMPETITIVE OIL AND GAS LEASE SALE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT MCKINLEY, RIO ARRIBA, AND SANDOVAL COUNTIES, NEW MEXICO QUARTER 4 2025 DOI-BLM-NM-F010-2025-0011-EA [hereinafter FARMINGTON AND RIO PUERCO DRAFT EA]. and Draft Findings of No Significant Impact (Draft FONSIs)2BUREAU OF LAND MGMT., QUARTER 4 2025 COMPETITIVE OIL AND GAS LEASE SALE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, DOI- BLM-NM-P000-2025-0001-EA, FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT [hereinafter PECOS DRAFT FONSI]; QUARTER 4 2025 COMPETITIVE OIL AND GAS LEASE SALE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, DOI-BLM-NM-F010-2025-0011-EA, FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT [hereinafter FARMINGTON AND RIO PUERCO DRAFT FONSI]. analyzing the 10 parcels covering 4,798.50 acres out of the Pecos District Office and 7 parcels covering 3,838.66 acres in the Farmington and Rio Puerco Field Offices under consideration for potential oil and gas exploration and development for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) New Mexico 2025 Fourth Quarter Oil and Gas Lease Sale. Our organizations and members are deeply invested in sound stewardship of public lands and committed to ensuring that public land management prioritizes the health and resilience of ecosystems, benefits the public and local communities, protects biodiversity, and mitigates the impacts of climate change.
As the BLM prepares for this lease sale and evaluates which parcels to offer for lease, the agency must continue to abide by its obligations under the law and existing policy, including the Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process Rule (Leasing Rule), which implements program reforms and provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act. In carrying out this lease sale, the BLM must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
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