Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Colorado U.S. Representative Joe Neguse released the following statement in response to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) decision to expedite the Wildcat Loadout expansion:
“The Bureau of Land Management’s decision to fast-track the Wildcat Loadout expansion—a project that would transport an additional 70,000 barrels of crude oil on train tracks along the Colorado River—using emergency procedures is profoundly flawed. These procedures give the agency just 14 days to complete an environmental review—with no opportunity for public input or administrative appeal—despite the project’s clear risks to Colorado.
“There is no credible energy emergency to justify bypassing public involvement and environmental safeguards. The United States is currently producing more oil and gas than any country in the world.
“We strongly oppose BLM’s use of emergency authority in this case and urge Secretary Burgum to suspend this process and conduct a full Environmental Impact Statement that gives Coloradans a voice in decisions that directly affect them.”