CARBONDALE, Colorado — A second oil and gas company that leases public lands in the Thompson Divide area west of Carbondale has applied to consolidate its holdings into a unit, which would allow it to hold onto its leases beyond current expiration dates in 2013.

Antero Resources submitted an application to the Bureau of Land Management to create the Wolf Springs Unit, according to David Boyd, spokesman for the agency’s Northwest Colorado District. He said the office learned of the proposal last week from the BLM’s state office.

Antero Resources wants to combine seven leases comprising 11,700 acres, according to its application. The proposed Wolf Springs Unit is in terrain where Pitkin, Garfield and Mesa counties come together, roughly eight miles west-southwest of Carbondale. Boyd said the majority of the unit is in Garfield County but exact acreages weren’t available yet.

Five of the leases in the proposed unit are set to expire on May 31, 2013, and the other two expire Aug. 31, 2013, according to the BLM’s records. Gas leases on public lands expire, in general, if there hasn’t been drilling within 10 years of the lease date.

However, if a unit is approved, only one well has to be in production to retain the consolidated leases, according to BLM regulations.MORE …