BLM auction for gas, oil lease draws protest

A coalition of environmental groups is protesting a federal land-lease auction that would allow oil and gas drilling near a national monument in southeastern Utah, in the Book Cliffs wilderness area and by land along the Green River.

The filing opposes the Bureau of Land Management's inclusion of government-owned land near Hovenweep National Monument and by other recreational areas in an upcoming lease auction.

Utah BLM will bid out for the controversial oil and gas production sites on more than 112,000 acres of public lands on Dec. 10.

A coalition of conservation organizations, including Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Wilderness Society, the Utah Professional Archeological Council, Bluff-based outfitter Far Out Expeditions and a former National Parks chief ranger, are hopeful parcels in the recreational areas will be scratched off the auction list by then.

The coalition is particularly upset that the lease could include land that is visible from parts of a remote and pristine national treasure by the Utah-Colorado border where five prehistoric Puebloan-era villages along mesa tops and canyons are protected.

"There is simply no justification for BLM to offer oil and gas leases on the doorsteps of sacred places like Hovenweep National Monument," said Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance staff attorney Stephen Bloch.

One of the coalition's arguments is that the four parcels by Hovenweep on the auction block were acquired by the BLM on behalf of the National Park Service in 2000 to "protect the natural quiet and open viewshed from the Monument," a coalition-produced news release claimed.

Suzanne Jones of The Wilderness Society believes that alleged contradiction shows "just how unreasonable this sale is."

The coalition also points out that the BLM has 3 million acres of public lands that have already been leased for oil and gas development but are not in production along with a surplus of unused drilling permits. Bloch believes any production obtained would be "insignificant," saying "there's clearly no need, if you will, to have these leases sold."

"With plenty of leases available to industry, BLM has no business selling off every last piece of America's natural heritage," added Sharon Buccino, senior attorney at NRDC.

Lola Bird, a spokesman for the Utah BLM, said the agency has received at least one protest on each of its quarterly oil and gas development land-lease auctions since 1998.

The BLM is required to show the desired list and consider protests before finalizing any sales.

That review process for the December auction won't be complete until today, three days prior to the bidding. So the coalition still has time to convince the BLM.

"We're just looking at everything we've received," Bird said. "At this point, nothing is firm or final as far as parcels that will be offered. All parcels that were on the initial list are subject to change."P>

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