BLM proposes closing Utah land to drilling Federal officials have proposed closing more than 186,000 acres to oil and gas drilling in eastern Utah. The Bureau of Land Management officials said they increased the number of acres it wants to close in response to concerns about wildlife and cultural resources. The acreage proposed as off-limits in the Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin is about three times larger than the amount the agency suggested last fall. Bill Stringer, BLM's field officer in Vernal, said the change is a result of public comments. The proposal is part of a larger plan for 1.7 million acres in the region, one of the nation's busiest for oil and gas activity....