Page in progress for Otero Mesa. {{ Geobox|Region}}
Otero Mesa is a 1.2-million-acre (4,900 km2) area in northern Chihuahuan Desert region of southern New Mexico.
Between 1954 and 1965 the U.S. Army expanded its McGregor Range facilities at Fort Bliss onto Otero Mesa by purchasing ranches. [1] [2]
In 2005, the Bureau of Land Management approved the area for exploratory drilling for oil and gas, [3] but that approval is currently being litigated[ citation needed] by the state of New Mexico and environmental groups who want the mesa to be recognized as protected wilderness.
On Tuesday, April 28, 2009, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the US Bureau of Land Management plan for leasing the Otero Mesa for oil and gas extraction. The court found that the BLM had failed to consider an alternative that would leave the Otero Mesa unleased, and also failed to examine potential impacts to the underlying groundwater.[ citation needed]
Page in progress for Otero Mesa. {{ Geobox|Region}}
Otero Mesa is a 1.2-million-acre (4,900 km2) area in northern Chihuahuan Desert region of southern New Mexico.
Between 1954 and 1965 the U.S. Army expanded its McGregor Range facilities at Fort Bliss onto Otero Mesa by purchasing ranches. [1] [2]
In 2005, the Bureau of Land Management approved the area for exploratory drilling for oil and gas, [3] but that approval is currently being litigated[ citation needed] by the state of New Mexico and environmental groups who want the mesa to be recognized as protected wilderness.
On Tuesday, April 28, 2009, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the US Bureau of Land Management plan for leasing the Otero Mesa for oil and gas extraction. The court found that the BLM had failed to consider an alternative that would leave the Otero Mesa unleased, and also failed to examine potential impacts to the underlying groundwater.[ citation needed]