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US Cancels Gas, Oil Leases Near Utah Parks

Administration moves to drilling in environmentally sensitive areas

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 4, 2009 4:50 PM CST

(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. (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. (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. (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. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 10 comments

Guest

Feb 10, 2009 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.

justme

Feb 6, 2009 6:44 AM CST

It's not an either /or question. Oil is an even more valuable commodity if we don't burn it. It has the raw material for plastics and other products that we use every day. (We can go greener but no one expects the world to give up every advancement. Yes, take energy from the sun, the wind, geothermal etc but don't kill our economy by refusing to use every ounce of available oil and natural gas.

Guest

Feb 5, 2009 6:25 AM CST

And you paid $4 a gallon for oil to heat you house.

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Bloomberg (Source Grid »)
Washington Post (Source Grid »)

Environmental groups had tried to block leases
MSNBC

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

US • Money • Politics

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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US Cancels Gas, Oil Leases Near Utah Parks

Administration moves to drilling in environmentally sensitive areas

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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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'Accommodation' for religious employers will likely be announced today

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US Cancels Gas, Oil Leases Near Utah Parks

Administration moves to drilling in environmentally sensitive areas

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

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

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Detroit Bust Would've Been Better Than Bailout

Ex-Prez Bush says bailout his idea, and a good one

Obama Unveils $3.8T Budget, Targets Rich

Budget would institute 'Buffett Rule,' boost infrastructure

White House to Budge on Birth-Control Mandate

'Accommodation' for religious employers will likely be announced today

Small Donors Gave 48% of Obama's 2011 Donations

That's more than double the proportion from 2007: analysis

No Child Left Behind Waiver Granted to 10 States

At least 28 more plan to seek one

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