From Deseret News archives:
Coalition denounces BLM's drilling plan
Protesters say it would sacrifice 'public treasures'
The draft plan, which manages public lands in Carbon and Emery counties, is the first of seven land use plans the BLM will release over the next few years.
Conservationists say the plan would sacrifice "public treasures" like Sids Mountain, Mexican Mountain and the foothills of the San Rafael Reef.
"The Department of Interior is hoping to leave a legacy of oil wells, pipelines, sludge pits, roads and off-road vehicle tracks in our back yard," said Heidi McIntosh, conservation director at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. "As Utahns, we know that the magnificent beauty of these treasure landscapes is not the place for dirt bikes and drill pads."
The BLM's draft plan leaves 98 percent of lands outside already protected wilderness study areas open to drilling, including Desolation Canyon and the Book Cliffs.
McIntosh said the BLM should use a more balanced approach to keep all sides happy from wildlife to industry.
"This draft management plan, from an ecological viewpoint, is likely to receive a failing score," Jones said. "The implications for our important wildlife resources and Utah's natural heritage are sobering and could spell very bad news for some species of wildlife."
The draft plan also evaluates off-road vehicle use. McIntosh and Will McCarvill of the Wasatch Mountain Club said the BLM must take a stand on the "spiderweb" of trails that are created each weekend in Utah's wilderness areas.
McIntosh thanked the BLM for recently halting cross-country use of ATVs and designating specific trails to ride. But, she said, it seems the BLM is bowing to public pressure and "the BLM's commitment to a firm, workable plan may be wavering."
E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com
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