Nearly 222,000 acres of National Forest and Bureau of Land Management property known as the Thompson Divide, south of Glenwood Springs and extending south beyond Crested Butte, was withdrawn from mining and oil and gas exploration by the Biden administration Wednesday.

Citing a “broad interest in retaining the Thompson Divide’s contiguous landscape and protecting the area from potential impacts of mineral development,” Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland signed a public land order that prevents mining, mineral and geothermal leasing for 20 years, subject to existing mineral rights. Only Congress can authorize a permanent withdrawal.

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to withdraw 5,000 or more acres for a maximum of 20 years, subject to renewal.

“The Thompson Divide is iconic to Colorado and with these protections, it will remain an area that will continue to support incredible levels of biodiversity and public enjoyment for generations to come,” said Gov. Jared Polis in a news release. “People come from across the country and around the world to experience our world class outdoors, which is why it’s so important to protect our state’s renowned public lands.”

According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, much of the withdrawn area “has not been available to oil and gas leasing for several years, and there is no current or planned oil exploration or production in the area.”

“Efforts to conserve the area span decades and recognize the outstanding habitat, fish and wildlife values, and the importance to local residents,” said Aaron Kindle, director of sporting advocacy at the National Wildlife Federation in a release. “We are glad that these efforts have officially paid off and we will continue to work on a permanent solution for this unmatched landscape.”

The Biden administration originally proposed withdrawal in October 2022.

According to the release, “the Departments engaged extensively with a variety of stakeholders — including through five public meetings, close coordination with Tribes and multiple cooperating agencies, and a review of the approximately 31,000 comments received.”

The withdrawal advances President Biden’s America the Beautiful initiative to conserve and restore an additional 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. The federal government already owns 36% of Colorado lands, and according to the Colorado State Forest Service, the federal government owns about 65% of Colorado’s more than 3 million acres of forests.

Nationally, the federal government owns about 28% of the total land area of the United States.

Colorado received $153 million of more than $18 billion in revenues generated by energy production on federal and tribal lands in fiscal year 2023, according to federal documents.

Colorado ranked fourth in the amount of revenues doled out to the states, trailing New Mexico, Wyoming, and Louisiana.