GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) — Federal officials have approved plans for a company to drill for oil on the Whitewater Basin in western Colorado.

The Daily Sentinel reports the Bureau of Land Management approved Fram Operating LLC's Whitewater development plan, which calls for drilling more than 100 wells on 26,000 acres near Grand Junction.

The bureau's action on the plan has been delayed since 2013 when opponents raised concerns about the project, saying the plan did not adequately take into account the effects of hydraulic fracturing on water and air.

Officials with the advocacy group Western Colorado Congress say they're considering actions to appeal the decision.

Company officials didn't immediately respond to the newspaper's requests for comment.

The next phase of the projects begins when the company submits applications to the bureau for drilling permits.

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Information from: The Daily Sentinel, http://www.gjsentinel.com