From Deseret News archives:
BLM pulls land near parks from sale
Efforts mount to protect areas from oil leasing
But the war with the BLM to protect the two national parks and the monument from encroaching oil and gas development is still on. That war now includes two letters from members of Congress, urging Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to do more to protect the areas.
The Park Service had expressed concern about 93 parcels around the parks and monument that the BLM planned to offer during the Dec. 19 lease sale in Salt Lake City. On Tuesday, the BLM said that it would defer from offering 24 of the parcels, according to the Park Service. That includes at least temporarily pulling a parcel off the table that could have hosted a drill rig within view of Utah's iconic Delicate Arch.
"It's a huge sigh of relief for us," said Mike Snyder, Denver-based regional director for the Park Service.
Sales of the remaining 64 parcels, covering more than 93,000 acres, must be deferred unless the BLM can meet certain conditions laid out by the Park Service.
Watchdogs aren't exactly rejoicing.
"It sounds like a window-dressing deal," said Stephen Bloch, an attorney with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. "It sounds like the Park Service was rolled."
Bloch said that in addition to leaving dozens of parcels in the sale next month that the Park Service had wanted pulled, the deal does nothing to address parcels in other "spectacular, wilderness-quality lands" such as Desolation Canyon, Nine Mile Canyon and the White River.
"The lease sale continues to be a disaster in the making for Utah's public lands" Bloch said.
The BLM on Tuesday released a map that showed several parcels around Nine Mine Canyon had also been removed from the sale offerings.
Earlier this month, state BLM leaders had decided at the last minute, without telling the Park Service first, to add certain parcels to the Dec. 19 sale. Park Service officials quickly found out that the parcels bordered Arches and Canyonlands national parks and Dinosaur National Monument.
Recent comments
They're talking about drilling in Spanish Valley! That is a freakin...
st2eelpot | Nov. 28, 2008 at 10:02 p.m.
I visited the monument, with the map of proposed leases in hand, and...
LD'sFriend | Nov. 27, 2008 at 3:05 p.m.
Appreciate your service and insight. I don't think, however, the...
TO: LD | Nov. 26, 2008 at 10:00 p.m.
- Home invasion suspects sought 9:44 a.m.
- Andersen apologizes for Jordan hoax 9:37 a.m.
- Survey: Few plan hires in next 6 mos. 9:32 a.m.
- Market slides as dollar strengthens 9:23 a.m.
- 911 call for Woods' mother-in-law 9:22 a.m.
- McChrystal: 'No silver bullets' 9:14 a.m.
- U.N.: '00-'09 warmest decade 8:59 a.m.
- Pope keeps Spanish Steps tradition 8:54 a.m.
- U.S. tops in health care spending 8:50 a.m.
- FBI sending team to Pakistan 8:42 a.m.
- Witness: Mitchell stalked victims
- Cougars going back to Vegas
- BYU football: Bronco weighs in on Hall
- Utah/BYU rivalry can be more civil
- Y. profs: Beck not all-knowing
- TCU to play Boise in Fiesta Bowl
- Williams' late jumper tops Spurs
- TCU's BCS game missing something
- BYU eager for crack at Oregon State
- Bring the true spirit of Christmas
- Y. profs: Beck not all-knowing
264 - TCU to play Boise in Fiesta Bowl
203 - Letters: Global warming a lie
174 - Cougars going back to Vegas
147 - Utah/BYU rivalry can be more civil
137 - George lost in rivalry hatefest
119 - Ed Smart 'appalled' at testimony
100 - Harpring's NBA career is over
98 - Utahns want health care reform bills
82 - Utes excited to go to San Diego
79
For the latest news in the health care debate and how it affects you...
Amazon.com, Target.com, Sears.com, Walmart.com, Kmart.com and...
Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. If...
The real cause of the budget shortfall is the change the legislature made to...
I thought the U was the 'big boys' and the Cougs beat 'em! Go Cougs!
To "MormonDem | 8:59 p.m. " you scream that one of the 3 sources I provided...
I guess that is a compliment because BYU & Utah State have never been and...
Next year Utah fans will either clean up their act - or prove Max right....
My thoughts and prayers go out to the LeBaron family. I was raised in...
Times are tough. Bite the bullet and restore the food tax.
Can Snoozer's season ending hangnail be far off now? I expect it any day.
The Plessy vs. Ferguson 'Separate but Equal' Bowl

