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January 31, 2008 Contact:      Jen Klinesmith     307-367-5362 Pinedale BLM Selects JIO Project Manager The Bureau of Land Management’s Pinedale Field Office named Ted Rentmeister as the new Jonah Interagency Mitigation and Reclamation Office (JIO) Project Manager. Rentmeister reported for duty on January 22, 2008. “We are very fortunate to have Ted as the Project Manager for the JIO. He brings a wealth of experience and is a tremendous asset to everyone using and taking care of our public lands,” said Chuck Otto, Pinedale Field Office Manager. “During his federal service, he has clearly demonstrated the ability to bring people and agencies together to work toward a common goal.” Prior to the JIO, Rentmeister served with the US Fish and Wildlife Service as the Refuge Manager for the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. As the wildlife refuge manager, Rentmeister was responsible for fire management, law enforcement, biological, maintenance, and administrative programs. Rentmeister has also served as the assistant manager of the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge in Parker, Arizona. The Jonah Natural Gas Field, located in the Upper Green River Basin, is approximately 30,000 acres of rolling sagebrush and is 94 percent federally owned. The area is considered to be one of the richest concentrations of natural gas in the United States. The JIO was created by the Jonah Project Record of Decision to provide overall management of field monitoring and mitigation activities, both on and off site, through a $24.5 million dollar fund from EnCana Oil and Gas (USA), Inc. and BP American Production Co. To perform these duties, the JIO uses an innovative approach by encouraging industry to minimize the developmental footprint while still maximizing the recovery of the natural gas and speeding up the reclamation process. More information on the JIO is available at http://www.wy.blm.gov/jonah_office. Rentmeister states he is looking forward to learning the processes and meeting the people that make this project so unique. “I hope to enhance the successes attained thus far and adaptively build upon the lessons learned from yesterday and today with a commitment to improve tomorrow,” he said. Rentmeister, his wife, and two sons-ages 12 and 13, look forward to getting to know the people in the community. They enjoy fishing and camping and are excited to spend time together enjoying all the outdoor recreational activities that Sublette County has to offer. -BLM-