Here Is Your Opportunity To Comment On The New Fracking Leases in Our Beloved Rio Chama Watershed
Who are we commenting to? We are allowed to send public comments to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regarding our concerns about new oil and gas leases that are slated to be sold in the BLM Spring 2018 Oil and Gas Lease Sale. The leases that are well within the western boundary of the Rio Chama Watershed near Llaves, Regina and Gallina, are our central concern.
The comment period is from Dec.6th, 2017 – Jan 4th, 2018.
There are currently no “permits to drill” in our watershed. Your comments do make a difference!
How are we allowed to comment? Unlike in the past, this time we are only allowed to send our comments by fax or by snail mail or hand delivery(no email). The BLM refuses to post the correct address and fax number on their website until the first day of the official comment period, which is Dec.6th.
The BLM will not count comments sent to any other address!
How can I make sure my comment letter is received by the BLM?
You can attend a letter writing event at the El Rito Library on Saturday, December 9th, from 10-2.
As in the past, food and drink will be provided! RACC will also provide paper, pens, envelopes and talking points about the dangers of fracking and the hydrology of the Rio Chama Watershed that you can use in your comment letters. RACC will then fax or hand deliver your comments to the BLM at our expense.
It will take not much more than one half hour of your time and you can leave with a good feeling because RACC will do the rest and take care of securely delivering your comments!
You can also write your comments beforehand, using talking points that you will receive by an emailed Watershed Alert on Dec. 6th., and then deliver them to us at the library at the event on the 9th and we will take care of the rest.
Your other option, if you are not able to attend the event at the El Rito Library, is to look for a Watershed Alert from RACC on Dec. 6th that will give you the correct address for faxing and mailing your comments, along with a list of talking points you can use.
We ask that you send these comments by “return receipt” at the post office so you have a record of sending your comment to the BLM. If you fax your comment, please keep the delivery confirmation from the fax machine.
We are also asking that you then email RACC at barbaraturner9@yahoo.com and let us know your name and the date you sent in your comments.
This watershed offers us a profound and necessary cultural, religious, recreational, and agricultural connection to the place we call home.
Let’s all step up and give the Rio Chama Watershed a voice!