Deseret News | Protesters can't stop sale of 116 parcels

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Protesters can't stop sale of 116 parcels

Bad Decision | 1:25 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008

Why hasn't Utah's Government officials tried to step up and stop this travesty? Seriously, why is the President who has never seen this precious land offering these leases to the big oil producers? Let's move away from oil that pollutes our skies and look to more sustainable resources.

This is a bad thing for Utah. We need to fight to stop this! Utah's Governement Officials need to step up to stop this, or step down out of office. Protect Utah! Don't let us get run over.

Its About Time! | 5:09 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008

Radical environmentalist theatrics not-withstanding, we need to "drill, baby, drill! Won't be long until gas is back at $4 a gallon... which is what tipped the scale on sending our economy into the skids.... predated the housing collapse even. We have over 8 million acres of federally-protected wilderness and wilderness study areas in Utah....not to mention national parks, national forests, etc. Half the state is locked-up to non-resource development as it is.

We The People | 5:43 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008

Have lost America

We are being sold out

The State belongs to the People

There seems to be a problem with this idea!

Comments continue below

Voice of Reason | 6:30 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008

The bidders are subject to a valid contract requiring them to pay for the parcels. The protestors will probably be liable to BLM for the amount of their bid minus what BLM can get on a re-bid. I hope they enjoy having a big judgment lien on their property. Of course, their handlers at the SUWA and NRDC didn't warn them about that. The bidders are the SUWA and NRDC's sacrificial lambs, or perhaps to use a more apt analogy, their suicide bombers. The NRDC lawsuit threat is totally hollow for a number of reasons.

Fed Up | 7:28 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008

Bad Decision: many Utahns would happily vote to strip mine the national parks and dam the Grand canyon if they thought it would bring in "good" $10 an hour jobs. They are champing at the bit to sacrifice it all to the phantom of oil shale, so leasing every last foot of red rock country would probably be a plus to many of them.

dcc | 7:31 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008

Drill baby drill. Right in the middle of tmple square. Some can't understand that there are those that consider the land in southern Utah sacred. The rest of this consider that part of the city cheap propaganda.

Wassup | 8:30 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008

Clinton did something similar to lock up some of Utah's land just prior to leaving office. Turn about is fair.

Most of the protestors couldn't tell you where the land is. Just another environmentalist freak show.

A Comprehensive approach is best | 8:45 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008

As usual the truth and the right is in the middle, between the two extremes.

The United States needs jobs and it needs energy. Drilling would help with both of these. We are more dependent on foreign sources than ever before.

That said, the solution is not solely "drill baby drill". Conservation has its part to play. We can play our part by ensuring our cars are properly tuned and our tires properly inflated.

We need to develop new and alternate sources of energy. I am most excited about the prospect of increased use of geothermal and the government recently opened a lot of land to geothermal use.

Wind is a decent source and it should be fully developed. There are now wave machines that look like long snakes that can take energy from waves. We need to fully develop all these.

Again, these oil leases are a good thing, but they are not the whole answer, what we need is a comprehensive approach.

basin oil bum | 8:45 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008

Drill baby Drill is right, we can't get them drill rigs set up fast enough.

For all of you bemoaning the fact of these sales, get a clue. Most of these will produce nothing, and when they produce nothing, nothing happens to them.

The Sky isn't falling, the sun will come up tomorrow, and the land as you remember it will look just the same when they are done extracting those fossil fuels you burn everyday, while going to the jobs you enviro nazis supposedly have.

Too bad there is soo much misinformation out there, just the way Suwa wants it. Keep their lemmings uninformed as to how the exploration truly happens, and keep feeding the masses BS, and the money will keep rolling into their pockets.

Sad, really, but one day all you greenies will understand that just because you have it, doesn't mean that others wouldn't like to have those same comforts you have.

But hey I guess as long as you have yours why worry about the others who might not?

Aldo | 8:58 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008

It's About Time, your so-called "figures" are completely made up. 8 million acres????????? Completely off-base. Half the state locked up? C'mon, you can do better than that at pulling numbers out of your hat.
basin oil bum, I live in the Basin, too, and a quick look at Google Earth shows me how extensively pockmarked by development the Book Cliffs have become. I haven't opposed that. But when you propose drilling right next to Dinosaur National Monument, you will get a lot of opposition. And don't tell me I won't notice the results; if you have any science or land management background, you know that our soils out here will be a long, LONG time recovering from disturbance.

Fen | 9:02 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008

Well Utah, you are basically cutting off the hand that feeds you. Why do you think we ï¿½easternersï¿½ flock here, year after year - to recreate on lands scarred by thumper trucks and marred by oil rigs? We want to partake in the majestic wilderness experience that is in your backyard and trek amongst the treasures that our government is supposed to be safeguarding.

Wake up people of Utah! Itï¿½s time to rouse your blind-eyed bureaucrats from their oblivion. Your riches are not beneath the ground, but visible for all to behold. Take a stand Utah, for your ï¿½Red Rock Gold!ï¿½

Himself | 9:13 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008

If these properties were worth anything they would have been sold decades ago.

America will become energy independent the same
day we become heroin independent.

falcon's beak | 9:16 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008

I am glad to be as careful as possible where we drill, but drill we must. In the meantime I am a Pickens Plan fan and think we should use a lot more natural gas powered vehicles. This will require assembly lines to install the natural gas system at the factory. Wind farms to be used to enable us to decommission natural gas power plants. The electric car is the future, but it is not ready. My mechanic noticed an electric car accident and the occupants were electrocuted. New battery developments are coming it appears. In the meantime we have to have our own oil supplies. I hate paying anti American Islamic countries for oil. I love the geothermal solution and sounds like it could be big in Utah.

Lose it forever........ | 9:28 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008

Want to see what oil drilling looks like? Visit Bakersfield, CA and drive West. Oil rigs are eyesores and they do spoil the land. And ask people in Santa Barbara what oil drilling has done to their beaches. We hear about small oil spills a few times a year here. Yup, go right ahead and turn your land over to the oil companies. They will look after your land like Wall Street looked after the banks.

Randall | 10:09 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008

I wonder how many under the table 'royalties' or golden parachutes members of the current administration will receive from these sales over the years. You know there has to be 'grease' involved.

The Current Reality.... | 10:56 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008

Is that we will be dependent on oil, nuclear and hydro power for some time. Should we shut them down tomorrow, no, but we can keep improving on wind, solar and alternative fuels. The electric car will still be no better (right they won't stink and they are quiet) at energy use than the sources we have to charge them with and for the foreseeable future coal, oil and nuclear will be powering them (you have to recharge them Mr. Green). We also have learned how to heat/cool our homes a lot more effectively with insulation and improved furnace/AC design. Keep that coming. But given a choice between foreign and domestic sources, I have to lean towards drill baby drill. Keep working the alternates but take a reality check too.

Slanting of the news? | 1:49 p.m. Dec. 20, 2008

The aricle has twenty words talking about the protesters in side the sale and the rest about how smoothly it went.

I guess reporters have tendency to please their editors but here is my view of the auction.

He did more to disrupt the auction than most people realize.

Here is a University of Utah student dressed in an old red parka and stocking cap who registered as a bidder. He is sitting with the oil company executives. He looks out of place but he has a numbered bidding card.

By randomly bidding on the oil and gas leases he made the oil companies pay more than they wanted for the leases. This caused problems and they stopped the auction to check him out.

Now they want to back out on the price they paid for some of the leases. They are cryig foul.

In some cases when the oil companies failed to raise his bid he was forced to buy the leases.

Does he have the money most likely no. It was all theaterics.

Did it throw a monkey wrench into the smooth bidding process. most likely yes.

Reporting is all in the eye of the viewer.

Jail 'em all | 10:13 p.m. Dec. 20, 2008

For starving families who cannot afford electicity or gas to heat their homes. The pro-family liberals are so anti-family it is unbelievable. Throw 'em in jail for abuse and negligence against humanity. Enough is enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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