I attended the Bureau of Land Management’s Southwest Resource Advisory Council (RAC) meeting that considered a Tres Rios Master Leasing Plan (MLP) to help determine the future of oil and gas development in western La Plata and eastern Montezuma counties.

The Journal covered the event, but the headline may give readers the wrong idea that the RAC made a final decision. No vote occurred, leaving a final MLP recommendation for a future meeting.

The Journal’s article was 100 percent correct to point out that public comments at the meeting, mirroring those of the public hearings held before, overwhelmingly favored developing an MLP.

To date there have been over 120 comments in favor of an MLP, with less than 10 opposed. The majority of those in favor are not anti-development and are seeking a balanced plan that broadly considers the community’s concerns in a transparent, public process. An MLP provides that.

A Tres Rios MLP doesn’t have to be lengthy and expensive. In fact, if the BLM’s claim that the issues that have been raised by the public are all adequately covered by the Tres Rios Resource Management Plan, then the MLP process will be much faster and cheaper than other MLPs to date, as well as more collaborative and comprehensive than other BLM planning options.

I hope that the BLM listens to the public and considers an MLP, as it just may be the best tool for the job.

Lionel Di Giacomo

Durango