Interior launches oil-lease reforms to fix 'problems' in Utah

WASHINGTON — To fix problems found when studying controversial oil and gas leases in Utah, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced reforms Wednesday that he says may slow down approving such leases nationwide but ensure that they are offered only where truly appropriate and after greater public participation.

"The previous administration's 'anywhere, anyhow' policy on oil and gas development ran afoul of communities, carved up the landscape and fueled costly conflicts that created uncertainty for investors and industry," Salazar said.

"The flaws in the current leasing process came into sharp focus in Utah when in late 2008, the prior administration offered several highly controversial parcels for lease, some of which were in the vicinity of Arches and Canyonlands national parks and Dinosaur National Monument," he added.

He temporarily suspended that auction of 77 parcels until a review of them was completed. Salazar on Wednesday noted the team that visited the Utah parcels recommended several changes in lease procedures, and "many of the reforms that BLM is making today are in response to the shortcomings" it identified.

The biggest change is that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management will not merely rely on general "resource management plans" to identify areas available for leasing when requested by oil companies but will conduct deeper environmental analysis of all specific parcels proposed for leasing.

That will allow field offices to study whether drilling may adversely affect wilderness values, air quality, archaeological values, watersheds, wildlife and nearby land uses. It will use interdisciplinary teams to evaluate each parcel, allow public comment and, when necessary, visit the parcels.

"Some BLM officials in the past were told that their job, first and foremost, was to sit at their desk and to review and approve industry drilling-permit applications, often without adequate time to inspect those permits and ensure compliance with the law," Salazar complained.

Salazar said that during the George W. Bush administration, that mindset led to allowing leases in "areas that were in municipal watersheds, areas that involved important wildlife habitats, lands with wilderness characteristics and lands that were close to national parks," and resulted in 40 percent of all leases in 2008 being protested, as opposed to just 1 percent that was protested in 1998.