Our Mission:
The mission of the Thompson Divide Coalition is to secure permanent protection from oil and gas development of Federal lands in the Thompson Divide Area including the Thompson Creek and Four Mile Creek watersheds, as well as portions of the Muddy Basin, Coal Basin, and the headwaters of East Divide Creek.
“The Thompson Divide Coalition exists because of outstanding community support from the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond.”
Why we Need to Save it:
The Thompson Divide area covers approximately 200,000 acres of Federal land in Pitkin County (88,100 acres), Gunnison County (51,700 acres), and Garfield County (43,500 acres). In 2003 the Bush Administration issued 81 mineral leases in the Thompson Divide. There are currently only 3 active lease holdings in the area due to lease expiration and Federal buyback.
Our Rural Economies in and around the Roaring Fork Valley rely, in part, upon existing uses in the Thompson Divide area. Collectively, hunting, fishing, ranching, and recreation in the Thompson Divide area support nearly 300 jobs and $30 million in annual economic output for our local communities.
Recognizing the importance of existing uses in the Thompson Divide area, Senator Michael Bennet, Senator John Hickenlooper and Representative Joe Neguse have introduced the CORE Act which includes the Thompson Divide Withdrawal and Protection Act in the United States Senate. Bennet’s bill offers a middle-ground solution to the ongoing conversation about the Thompson Divide’s future. If passed, the legislation would withdraw unleased public minerals in the area, and provide an opportunity for existing leases to be retired should they be donated or sold by willing owners.
Leases in the Thompson Divide amount to less than 1 percent of active leases on public lands in the entire state of Colorado; meanwhile, 99 percent of the lands in the Thompson Divide area are used for agriculture, sporting and recreation.
Development in the Thompson Divide area is not a “game-changer” for Colorado’s oil and gas industry, but development in the area could seriously impact rich and vibrant rural economies built around existing uses in the Thompson Divide.