Utah congressmen rip BLM deferment of oil and gas leasing

The Bureau of Land Management has announced it will be deferring 96,960 acres of federal lands in southern Utah from the proposed oil and gas lease auction on Tuesday, igniting frustration from members of Utah's congressional delegation. This latest deferment brings the total number of acres withdrawn from the lease sale to more than 800,000. The BLM's Price and Vernal field offices will instead offer 44,021 acres for oil and gas leases, 5 percent of what could have been offered, according to Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, who chairs the House Natural Resources Public Lands and Environmental Regulation Subcommittee. Much of the targeted area is in Emery County around the San Rafael Swell and is considered an archaeologically sensitive area, which potential drilling could spoil. BLM officials say the deferment will give them more time to address concerns over potential impacts to the Old Spanish Trail. In a statement, Juan Palma, Utah director of BLM, said he is committed to responsible development of energy resources on Utah's public lands. "We are deferring these particular lands from the upcoming sale to provide for additional review and consideration of the potential impacts leasing poses to natural and cultural resources," he said. Sens. Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch issued a joint statement saying the move shows the Obama administration's promises of transparency and open communication are empty. "At a time when the state of Utah, local counties and Utah's federal delegation are participating in a large-scale initiative to resolve many long-standing public land issues, this last-minute bait and switch only reinforces the widespread belief that, under this administration, BLM is becoming a vehicle for policies created by radical environmentalists," Lee said...more