Report backs pulling of leases

A new report issued Wednesday by the Department of the Interior reaffirmed what its top executive has already said about the 77 parcels of oil and gas leases he yanked earlier this year: The selection process was flawed because of inadequate review.

The Bureau of Land Management parcels in Utah were rescinded by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar after he said the Bush administration rushed a "midnight" decision to offer up areas that were too close to national monuments, parks and environmentally sensitive areas.

"It is clear that in the rush to sell the leases, the previous administration bypassed normal reviews and consultations with the National Park Service," Salazar said. "Only when the light of public scrutiny was shed on the situation did they reconsider some of the most problematic leases, but many of the 77 parcels that were auctioned off are close to national park units and even closer to other sensitive, world-class landscapes including Desolation Canyon and Nine Mile Canyon."

The report commissioned by Salazar comes after he crafted a team led by the Interior Department's deputy secretary, David Hayes.

The so-called Hayes Report is based on a review of the administrative record that accompanied the auction of the 77 parcels; an inspection of the parcels in question via overflight or on-the-ground inspection; interviews of BLM, National Park Service and other Interior Department officials who were involved in lease-related decision-making and a boisterous town hall meeting in Vernal last month attended largely by many angry oil industry representatives.

Several recommendations are outlined in the report, steps Salazar said he is directing to be implemented:

 BLM should work more closely with the National Park Service to avoid a repeat of an inappropriate public listing of parcels. Interior officials should issue guidance to assist BLM officials in making leasing decisions on lands that are near parks and other sensitive landscapes, including parcels that have wilderness characteristics or other values that may not be consistent with oil and gas development.

 That a special BLM team be created to make final decisions regarding potential re-offering of some of the 77 parcels for oil and gas leasing. The review team grouped the parcels in several categories, noting that some parcels, such as those in current production areas, appear to be appropriate for oil and gas leasing, while other parcels require more extensive review.

 That BLM initiate a comprehensive air quality strategy for the region, in consultation with the National Park Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and state officials.