The Bush administration's plan to drill for oil and gas in the environmentally sensitive Otero Mesa area of New Mexico has snowballed into a controversy, reports UPI.

Governor Bill Richardson and New Mexico Attorney General Patricia Madrid immediately attacked the plan and promised a fight in federal court to stop it, if necessary.

"The Interior Department is ignoring its stated policies of respecting and working with states regarding major land management decisions," the Democratic governor said.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) called the plan for drilling in southeast New Mexico's public lands one of the most restrictive ever developed. At most, there would be 141 exploratory wells, which could result in 84 producing wells.

"We have the science, the tools and the will to ensure that the very limited amount of exploration and development allowed under this plan is accomplished under today's strict environmental and social standards," said State BLM director Linda Rundell.

Nearly 36,000 acres of grasslands with the highest potential as habitat for the endangered Aplomado falcon will be closed to leasing and permanently protected, the BLM said.