Leases along Rocky Mountain Front to be returned to the Bureau of Land Management
Five energy companies, including Occidental, BP, and XTO have relinquished oil and gas leases on roughly 29,000 acres in Montana. US Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) calls the release of the acreage in Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front adjacent to Glacier National Park a step that “will help preclude oil and gas development and preserve fish and wildlife habitat in this unique area, which is important to citizens of Montana and the rest of the country.”
The oil and gas leases in the Badger-Two Medicine area of the Lewis and Clark National Forest were returned to the US Bureau of Land Management. They are located in an area withdrawn from future leasing under a low the Senator helped enact in 2006.
His provision permanently protects nearly 111,000 of 152,000 acres of federal mineral leases originally held along the Rocky Mountain Front from oil and gas development.
Other companies surrendering acreage in the area are Williams Cos. and Rosewood Resources. All five companies voluntarily relinquished their leases and did not receive any consideration for their actions. “We appreciate the leadership of Senator Baucus for facilitating this agreement and for his commitment to the Rocky Mountain Front,” said Dr. Ray R. Irani, chairman and CEO of Occidental Petroleum. He went on to say that returning the leases was “the right thing to do.”
Steve Malcolm, Williams’ chairman, president and CEO said, “While natural gas will continue to be a vital part of our nation’s energy future, it is important that we take advantage of opportunities that clearly provide mutual benefits to all parties.”
The Badger-Two Medicine Area (BTM) is located on the Lewis and Clark National Forest, between Glacier National Park and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The BTM has no existing infrastructure or drilling activity and serves as key habitat for several high-profile species, including grizzly bears, wolves, bighorn sheep and cutthroat trout.