Delicate Arch, Utah Photo: Steve Torbit

Update! February 4, 2009

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Land Management would withdraw leases that were offered on 77 parcels of U.S. public land near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Dinosaur National Monument, and Nine Mile Canyon. The leases on these 77 parcels are the subject of litigation in U.S. District Court.

“In its last weeks in office, the Bush Administration rushed ahead to sell oil and gas leases at the doorstep of some of our nation’s most treasured landscapes in Utah,” said Secretary Salazar. “We need to responsibly develop our oil and gas supplies to help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but we must do so in a thoughtful and balanced way that allows us to protect our signature landscapes and cultural resources in places like Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Parks, Dinosaur National Monument, and Nine Mile Canyon, for future generations.

Read the entire press release from the Bureau of Land Management.

Background:

On election day, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) annouced its plans to lease more than 350,000 acres -- roughly 500 square miles -- for oil and gas drilling in Utah, including areas adjacent to several national parks and monuments. Hoping to expedite the process, the BLM chose not to consult the National Park Service, which is typically given up to three months to comment on proposed sales of leases near parks.

In the face of intense opposition from the National Park Service and several members of Congress, the BLM has since withdrawn 196,000 acres including hotly disputed spots near Dinosaur National Monument, Arches National Park and near Canyonlands National Park. 

On Friday, December 19th the lease sale went forward on the 132 leases remaining up for sale. A coalition of conservation groups filed a lawsuit the Wednesday before the sale challenging 80 of the 132 lease parcels. On Sunday, January 18th U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina issued a temporary restraining order against the BLM's sale of 77 oil and gas leases on scenic and sensitive public land in eastern and southern Utah, finding that the BLM failed to properly consider the potential damage to air quality and ancient rock art before selling the leases.