Feds Halt Drilling Plans in Some Areas of Utah

The Bush Administration has been all too eager to auction off large swaths of scenic parkland in Utah for drilling by oil and gas companies, but it seems pressure from conservation groups may have gotten to them. Though the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hasn’t said why they’ve pulled certain tracts of land from the auction, they’ve met with a lot of resistance by people angry about the potential for oil rigs spoiling beautiful views.

From MSNBC:

For the second time in a week, the bureau announced late Tuesday that it was pulling auction parcels from an expanded oil-and-gas leasing program in Utah. The latest tracts include land inside Nine Mile Canyon and Desolation Canyon on the Green River.

Together with previous deferrals, the BLM has pulled nearly 100,000 acres from an auction set for Dec. 19, leaving more than 276,000 acres up for bid.

Last week, the BLM pulled drilling leases that were located on and near the borders of Arches National Park, Dinosaur National Monument and Canyonlands National Park, all in Utah.

The auction has been slammed by conservationists as a “fire sale” for the oil and gas industry, especially since it was put together so quickly. The National Park Service in Utah wasn’t even properly notified and was rightfully upset about the possibility of oil rigs setting up so close to natural treasures like the Delicate Arch.

Parcels of land on bluffs overlooking Desolation and Nine Mile Canyons are still up for sale, along with areas populated by big game. An attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance says the BLM’s second reversal in a week just goes to show that this whole thing was a rush job.

Seriously, is it January 20th yet? Agencies like the Bureau of Land Management are about to be forced into making some major changes in the way they operate. Obama’s teams are already swarming government offices to review their current modus operandi. No more blatant favors for the oil and gas industries!

Link [MSBNC]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

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