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Sides Weigh In On Drilling Options On Roan Plateau

DENVER (AP) - Environmentalists and energy companies are offering different opinions as the Bureau of Land Management re-examines its plan for oil and gas development on the Roan Plateau.

A federal judge ruled last year that the BLM didn't fully consider impacts on air quality, potential ozone impacts, and a proposal that would've left much of the plateau's surface undisturbed when it approved drilling there.

The agency plans a new environmental analysis but has been gathering public input first.

The West Slope Colorado Oil & Gas Association said Friday the judge's ruling only requires the BLM to better explain its decision-making and potentially do more air quality analysis. But some conservationists say the BLM should cancel certain oil and gas leases on the plateau and protect wildlife habitat at the plateau's base.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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