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Roan Plateau drill leases challenged

DENVER, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Bureau of Land Management brushed aside serious pollution concerns in awarding a $114 million oil and gas lease in Colorado, environmentalists say.

Earthjustice and Western Resource Advocates, two nonprofit environmental law groups, filed suit in Denver to halt the leases for Colorado's Roan Plateau, the largest leases issued by the BLM for an onshore site, The Denver Post reported Tuesday.

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The groups say they are seeking an expedited hearing on their motion for an injunction against the BLM, which, they claim, didn't follow the National Environmental Policy Act in selling the 55,000-acre leases.

"We are trying to get BLM to reconsider its drill-everything approach," Mike Freeman, an Earthjustice attorney, told the Post.

"The Roan is an largely untouched gem in an area that has seen a lot of development," added Steve Torbit, regional director of the National Wildlife Federation.

The newspaper said the main bidder for the leases was Vantage Energy LLC, which is backed by two venture capital funds: the Carlyle Group and Riverstone Energy.

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