Posted on 11/10/2008 1:47:31 PM PST by bruinbirdman
President-elect Barack Obama could move quickly once in office to halt oil and gas drilling near national parks in Utah, Obama's top transition adviser said Sunday.
But it's unclear whether Obama would be able to reverse the Bush administration's decision to hand out leases to about 360,000 acres of federal land in Utah; the leases, some of which lie near Arches and Canyonlands national parks and Dinosaur National Monument, are scheduled to go on sale a month before Obama is sworn in.
John Podesta, co-chairman of Obama's transition team, said on Fox News Sunday that the president-elect is looking at several ways to overturn some Bush administration actions, and Podesta singled out the sale of Bureau of Land Management parcels in Utah.
The Bush administration wants "to have oil and gas drilling in some of the most sensitive, fragile lands in Utah that they're going to try to do right as they -- walking out the door," Podesta said. "I think that's a mistake."
Podesta, appearing on the Sunday morning show, signaled several areas where Obama believes his administration could make an immediate impact by issuing executive orders to halt actions by President Bush.
But the sale of the BLM land is not an action by executive order and may be more difficult to stop.
"I suppose he can," says Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond. "I think it may be possible. But it could depend on the program, [and] how it's authorized by statute."
"If it's an ongoing program, I think it's a more difficult question," Tobias said.
Another sticking point could be that the leases are scheduled to be sold Dec. 19, and once someone has bought a lease they are legally entitled to it. If Obama changes course later, the lease holders could sue in federal court to assert their purchased rights.
The Obama transition team did not respond to a request for clarification Sunday.
Obama's team is not alone in its concern over the sale of the federal lands. The National Park Service also has objected to the sale next month, saying it wants more time to study the areas to be opened for oil and gas drilling.
The Park Service has asked for the sale to be put off until next year to study whether drilling would harm the air, water and wildlife in the parks.
But the BLM says it's moving forward with the sale. The agency routinely holds quarterly sales of acreage for oil and gas leases.
Podesta also mentioned another area the president-elect could direct policy quickly upon assuming the office, by dropping Bush's ban on federal funding for new embryonic stem cell research. Podesta said decisions haven't been made for sure on what areas Obama would change course.
"But I would say that as a candidate, Sen. Obama said that he wanted all the Bush executive orders reviewed, and decide which ones should be kept, and which ones should be repealed, and which ones should be amended," he told Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.
Tobias says it's common place with new administrations to cast off previous orders and assert their own, especially when the new administration is of another party.
"The concern is that there's this last-minute rush of the Bush administration to authorize various activities that they believe the new administration would not authorize," Tobias says.
And issuing executive orders is the quickest way to halt the previous administration's actions.
"The legislative process can be so cumbersome. It still is even when it's your own party in power," Tobias says. "But this is something that can be done very quickly and has been done by many presidents." tburr@sltrib.com
The third party loons and sit at home folks made this posible.
Oh, for Heaven's sake...get a clue.
This story includes the info that Bush handed out oil leases for 360,000 acres in Utah, thus hugely encouraging private industry in a State that had been penalized by Clinton.
“Obama will be one term..”
We can only hope...
“and worse than Jimmy Carter.”
A high mark to shoot for, but he’s coming up fast.
I wouldn't bet that it will be above 30%
Pop the Pop Corn! This will be fun to watch.
It would probably do at least as much good as sitting around agreeing with Democrats and bitching about Bush.
I'm sure they are having the time of their lives at du and the others. They've been waiting for the death of America since the 60's.
We will need this ammo for the "news" outlets who will say that the new Prez is overturning the "will of the people"!!
Don’t forget all the Green Jobs that will be created that are the solution for unemployment because of Obama.
Montana already has legislation on the table to secede from the USA/union.
I will support Wyoming, N Dakota, S Dakota and Utah going along with Montana. Even if we could split off NORTHERN Nevada, it would help. Maybe also Nebraska and Idaho.
The minerals and other natural resources in those states need to be free to mine/drill/ as they see fit.
A very large oil deposit was found in central Utah a couple of years back. Current Congress actions are keeping it from being used.
It would also open up the coal deposits that Clinton froze in S Utah to help the Riahdi’s.
If you think I am kidding about that legislation sitting in the Montana state house, I am NOT.
All I can say is Dems have no problem using herbicides , pesticides, and fertilizers on farmland-thus getting into drinking water etc as long as its going to make corn based ethanol. Yet god forbid we disturb any land in the middle of nowhere Alaska to get oil.
Don’t anyone forget the $100 million in $100 “unnamed” credit/debit cards from Abu Daubi that ended up in nobama’s slimey campaign pocket.
Yeah buddy! Gasoline will cost about $5.00 or more a gallon by next summer. So much for becoming self-sufficient huh?
Don’t forget, all the current cars and trucks (that currently use gasoline and diesel) will run fine on whatever this energy magic the Anointed One delivers.
Want’s to keep his muslim bros inbusiness.
It's amazing Utah has such a low unemployment rate with all these left-wingers coming at your economy.
Who? He who has no middle name Hussein?
yitbos
This is something I really don’t understand. The feds “own” this land in Utah, and other states, and “lease” it to people so they can drill and mine it. Then after they lease it to them, they tell them they can’t drill or mine it. Make any sense? Anybody bother to ask the residents of Utah what they want to do with their land? Why should they give a sh!t what the feds want, the feds may own a chunk of real estate in Utah, But the people of Utah own the borders around it.
Friend of OPEC, Hussein Obama would tell you, "It is the patriotic thing to reduce the use of natural resources. I quote the former Secretary of State and member of my foreign policy advisory committee, Madelline Albright, 'There should not be only one super power.' Remember, there are 57 Muslim states that should be the other."
yitbos
“the leases, some of which lie near Arches and Canyonlands national parks and Dinosaur National Monument, are scheduled to go on sale a month before Obama is sworn in.”
Obama’s probably not going to let the Fourth and Fifth Amendments stop him from “saving the world.”
That’s the most infuriating thing about this global warming rave; it’s the ultimate “do whatever I want” badge for the government. Since nothing, according to the fear mongers, is more important than saving the earth, freedom and private property rights no longer matter.
For real? Is there a website on it?
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