A measure that would ban drilling on public lands atop the Roan Plateau in northwestern Colorado passed the U.S. House this weekend.

The provision, part of an energy bill in Congress, was pushed by Reps. Mark Udall and John Salazar, both Colorado Democrats. The language now moves to a conference committee to hash out differences in the bill with the Senate.

If the ban survives, it would override a Bureau of Land Management plan to allow some drilling on public lands on the Roan.

The move in the House came a day after U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, also a Democrat, persuaded the federal government to give Colorado 120 days to analyze the BLM plan. The delay was sought by Gov. Bill Ritter, who has argued his new administration needs a chance to analyze the drilling proposal.

The Roan has been a flashpoint between environmentalists — who want its rugged backcountry and wildlife spared the impacts of drilling rigs — and industry officials who want access to its large stores of natural gas.

Salazar, who represents a wide swath of the southern and western part of Colorado, said he was motivated by many constituents, including "dozens of local elected officials," who say they want the Roan protected.

But Sen. Josh Penry, R-Fruita, said three county governments most impacted by Roan debate — Rio Blanco, Garfield and Mesa — all support BLM's plan to draw gas from the Roan.

"The same is true of legislators who represent the Roan itself, and many of us who represent the communities adjacent to the Roan whose communities are most impacted by its production," Penry said in an e-mail to the Rocky Mountain News.