Roan Plateau facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Roan Plateau |
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Roan Plateau, Colorado, NASA satellite image. On September 25, 2008, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of the region through nearly cloud-free skies.
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| Location | Garfield County, Colorado, USA |
| Coordinates | 39°35′06″N 107°57′29″W / 39.58500°N 107.95806°W |
The Roan Plateau is a large, flat-topped mountain area in western Colorado, USA. It is located in Garfield County. This special place has many natural treasures. You can find tall ridges, deep valleys, and even waterfalls here.
The plateau is home to different animals like cutthroat trout, mountain lions, and bears. Rare plants also grow in this area. Besides nature, the Roan Plateau also has important resources like oil and natural gas.
When you look at satellite images, the Roan Plateau appears in shades of green, brown, and beige. Its deep canyons look like tree branches spreading across the land. West of towns like Meeker, Craig, and Rifle, you'll see desert areas.
Even though it's a dry place, farmers use irrigation to grow crops. This makes some areas around Grand Junction, Colorado look green with orchards and lawns. West of Rifle, the land becomes a high desert. Small towns like Battlement Mesa, Parachute, and De Beque are all in this desert area.
The desert landscape around Grand Junction stretches into Utah and Wyoming. It also goes southeast through towns like Whitewater, Delta, Olathe, and Montrose. East of Grand Junction, you'll find Grand Mesa, which is covered in thick forests.
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Natural Gas on the Plateau
The Roan Plateau has a lot of energy resources, especially natural gas. Because of this, companies are interested in exploring and drilling for gas there. Some gas wells are already working right next to the plateau.
Plans for Gas Development
In 2000, a government agency called the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) started making a plan for the Roan Plateau. This plan was finished in 2008. It allowed companies to get natural gas from under the plateau. However, it also set aside a large area of 21,034 acres (about 85 square kilometers) as a special "Area of Critical Environmental Concern." This means this part of the plateau is protected.
Gas Leases and Money
In August 2008, the BLM offered leases for gas development on 54,631 acres (about 221 square kilometers) of the Roan Plateau. Companies bid on these leases. The winning bids added up to $113.9 million. This was a record amount for a federal land lease sale in the lower 48 states.
The state of Colorado gets 49% of this money from the leases. It also gets 49% of the future payments, called royalties, from gas sales. Royalties are 12.5% of the total value of the gas sold.
Concerns About Development
Many people were not happy about the gas development plans. They worried about the impact on the environment. Even the Governor of Colorado at the time, Bill Ritter, expressed his concerns about drilling on the plateau.
