"The 20-year ban on new drilling will protect a pristine region that local advocates say is renowned for its wildlife and recreation."
"The Biden administration Wednesday finalized a 20-year ban on new oil and gas drilling and mining activity on 221,898 acres of federal lands within western Colorado’s pristine Thompson Divide.
The mineral withdrawal involves mostly Forest Service land covering parts of four national forests and about 15,000 acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
President Joe Biden proposed evaluating the 20-year mineral withdrawal as part of his October 2022 decision to designate the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument, a 53,804-acre site in the state’s Eagle Valley region that once served as a World War II Army camp for the 10th Mountain Division that deployed to Italy’s northern Apennines in 1945."
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