Roan Plateau: Officials to announce 'major development' in drilling dispute

The years-long legal conflict over oil and gas drilling on the Roan Plateau may be ending.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper — along with U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, other government officials, and representatives from environmental groups and the energy industry — are set to make an announcement at 1 p.m. MST Friday regarding what's being called "a major development" regarding the Western Slope landmark. Also on hand Friday for the announcement will be U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, and Neil Kornze, the director of the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which in 2008 auctioned off thousands of acres of mineral rights leases allowing drilling on the federally managed areas of the plateau and around its base...more