E&E Publishing, LLC
December 8, 2100, Scott Streater, E&E reporter

The Bureau of Land Management announced this week it will begin environmental reviews of 24 industry-nominated parcels covering more than 30,000 acres in western Colorado in preparation for a scheduled Aug. 9 oil and gas lease sale.The parcels are notable because BLM Colorado for the first time is announcing the nominated parcels up front and inviting the public to comment prior to any environmental analysis or review, said David Boyd, a spokesman in BLM's Northwest District Office in Silt, Colo.The early public involvement is part of leasing reforms finalized by the Interior Department last year that are designed to give the public more opportunity to provide input and to head off conflicts over where oil and gas development is allowed on public lands.Those reforms have drawn praise from environmentalists who argue that getting the public involved early in the leasing process will help to avoid conflict over sensitive parcels, and thus reduce the number of administrative and legal challenges that can stall or kill drilling projects....