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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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US Cancels Gas, Oil Leases Near Utah Parks

Administration moves to drilling in environmentally sensitive areas

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(Newser) – The Obama administration is scrapping the sales of oil and gas leases on areas of federally protected land spanning 130,000 acres in Utah, Bloomberg reports. “Those are American iconic treasures we need to make sure are being protected,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said today, adding that the leases can easily be nullified because the transactions were still pending from a December auction.

Environmentalists lauded the administration for sending a clear signal on the administration’s priorities: “What's significant here is you really do have Salazar taking a very critical first step toward restoring some sort of balance to the management of public lands," an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council said. "We can have energy security without sacrificing the West's wild places."

Tanker trucks kick up dust near where petroglyphs adorn rock walls Wednesday, April 30, 2008, in Nine Mile Canyon northeast of Wellington, Utah.
Tanker trucks kick up dust near where petroglyphs adorn rock walls Wednesday, April 30, 2008, in Nine Mile Canyon northeast of Wellington, Utah.   (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)
A sign marks the entrance to where ancient Indian petroglyphs adorn the rock walls of Nine Mile Canyon Wednesday, April 30, 2008, northeast of Wellington, Utah.
A sign marks the entrance to where ancient Indian petroglyphs adorn the rock walls of Nine Mile Canyon Wednesday, April 30, 2008, northeast of Wellington, Utah.   (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)
This undated image provided by the National Parks Service shows one of the arches (since collapsed) in Arches National Park in Utah.
This undated image provided by the National Parks Service shows one of the arches (since collapsed) in Arches National Park in Utah.   (AP Photo/National Parks Service)
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar talks during an interview with the Associated Press at the Department of Interior in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar talks during an interview with the Associated Press at the Department of Interior in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009.   (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)
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10 comments
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PosterNutbag
Feb 4, 09 4:53 PM CST
Thanks to kick-ass environmental activism, the Bush administration did not get away with this one. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
PaleRider
Feb 4, 09 6:25 PM CST
And you paid $4 a gallon for oil to heat you house.
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IN RESPONSE:
reality
Feb 10, 09 11:33 PM CST
Yeah right. The leases will get sold all right. The only difference is that they will go to "contributors" k??, of Pelosi/Reid next time around. All you environmentalists - God bless you - are only furthering the agenda of the money grubbers of the left and in fact will accomplish nothing with our new so called green administration.
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Snowleopard
Feb 4, 09 4:59 PM CST
Yay! These are some of the most amazing landscapes in America. Thanks for preserving them. I <3 wild utah. Reply
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johnnyyuma
Feb 4, 09 5:51 PM CST
They canceled this sale cause they didn't get enough money for this land. Reply
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Environmental groups had tried to block leases
MSNBC

Salazar delays additional oil and gas leases in Wyoming
Wyoming Business Report


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Barack Obama • Department of the Interior • Utah • Ken Salazar • secretary of the Interior • oil and gas leases • Obama administration • President Obama

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