New Mexico's Otero Mesa is the largest and wildest Chihuahuan Desert grassland left on public lands in this country, providing important and irreplaceable conservation opportunities. At more than 1.2 million acres in size, the area is home to 1,000 native wildlife species, including mule deer, mountain lion, black-tailed prairie dogs, golden and bald eagles, over 200 species of migratory songbirds, and the state’s healthiest and only genetically pure herd of pronghorn antelope.

Over 500,000 acres of Otero Mesa is eligible for wilderness designation. Conservation groups have proposed that the BLM protect these wilderness values in the ongoing resource management plan (RMP) revision, nominating nearly 600,000 acres of the area as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson also supports permanent protection for Otero Mesa.

Otero Mesa is also home to invaluable cultural and historical resources, and sits above the Salt Basin Aquifer, which is suspected to be the largest untapped fresh water aquifer left in the state of New Mexico. A multi-year study of the basin is currently being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission. Preliminary findings suggest that there is at least 57 million acre feet of groundwater and that, due to the fractured nature of the geology, the aquifer could be vulnerable to the rapid spread of contamination.

Court Confirms Inadequate Protection in Current Plan

In April, 2009, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on litigation brought by the State of New Mexico, state agencies, and a number of conservation groups challenging the RMP Amendment for Otero and Sierra Counties. In addition to recognizing the ecological importance of Otero Mesa, the court specifically found that the RMP Amendment did not adequately consider potential impacts of oil and gas development in causing habitat fragmentation in the grasslands or in contaminating the Salt Basin Aquifer. Furthermore, the court found that BLM’s entire RMP Amendment is flawed because the agency did not consider an alternative to protect all of Otero Mesa from oil and gas drilling. BLM will need to consider and analyze sufficient protections in a supplemental process.

Economic Benefits from Protecting Otero Mesa

Headwaters Economics recently released a report that analyzes the limited economic benefits of drilling on Otero Mesa. The report estimates that expected revenue to Otero County from such drilling would peak at $285,000 annually, which is only 1.3 percent of the county’s total 2007 revenue sources. The report concludes that drilling Otero Mesa would create few economic and fiscal benefits, while potentially foreclosing future economic opportunities from outdoor recreation and tourism.

Further, no portion of Otero Mesa was quantified as high potential for oil and gas development in the RMP Amendment that nonetheless opened 95% of the planning area to leasing. The Headwaters report reiterates what BLM itself has said, which is that the area is not expected to yield economically viable amounts of oil and gas deposits. Accordingly, even the relatively minor economic benefits projected by Headwaters are most likely optimistic.

To send your own letter, send comments to:

Secretary Ken Salazar
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20240