Posted on 02/04/2009 1:58:02 PM PST by reaganaut1
SALT LAKE CITY – In a high-profile reversal of the Bush administration, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Wednesday the government is scrapping the lease of 77 parcels of federal land for oil and gas drilling in Utah's redrock country. "In the last weeks in office, the Bush administration rushed ahead to sell oil and gas leases near some of our nation's most precious landscapes in Utah," Salazar said from Washington in a teleconference call with reporters.
He ordered the Bureau of Land Management, which is part of the Interior Department, to not cash checks from winning bidders for parcels at issue in a lawsuit filed by environmental groups.
The sales were worth $6 million to the government in addition to royalties on any oil or gas production.
"We will take time and a fresh look at these 77 parcels to see if they are appropriate for oil and gas development," Salazar said.
A federal judge put the sale of the 77 parcels on hold last month until the lawsuit was resolved. Now, Salazar is refusing to sell any of them — at least until the new administration has a chance to take a second look.
Conservation groups promised to press ahead with the lawsuit to challenge long-term management plans that made the sale of the parcels possible in the first place. The plans, governing 7 millions acres of public land in Utah, were approved by the BLM last year.
Among critics of December's lease auction was Robert Redford, who owns Sundance ski resort and has spent a lifetime on horseback in southern Utah's canyons.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
We’re soooo screwed.
Isn’t this legislating from the executive branch? Somebody fill me in.
Kenny Salazar sounds like he’s a real job killer. I wonder how many people will lose their jobs because of this.
Republicans should start running advertising about this - “With governement in trouble, a stimulus and jobs bill stalled in Congress and the country needing money, with people needing jobs, Democrats stopped the sale of oil and rights to help WHO?”
Can we install those giant windmills near those very same precious resources? And how about a few fields of solar panels. They will look good, don’t you think?
They had to do something, Chavez is complaining about the drop in demand for oil and so are the Arabs. This is a job stimulation program for them....not for America.
Did you just HEAR him???? Good Lord! The man is insane with his new-found power. I sent off emails to McCain, Kyl, McConnell and Boehner to please stop this man! 2010 cannot come soon enough for me........
LLS
If it has oil or gas I would say it’s “appropriate” for development.
This is the same clean coal reserves put off limits by Clinton as a quid pro quo to major Clinton campaign doners the Riadys and the Lippo Group who had a global monopoly on clean coal sales from Indonesia.
The same old crooks redux.
Buddy, I’d pay $ 100.00 to see that, cash, check or money order!! You see now, why Colorado was glad to get rid of this POS.
Ah, this must be how they make all those ‘green jobs’.
This is the same clean coal reserves put off limits by Clinton
Actually, no, we're talking about oil in the Uintah Basin here; the portion of Utah just under Wyoming. The coal that was put off limits was down south.
I have family living in the Basin who had mentioned that things were looking up for a change with all the oil work going on out there...
Do you think that this appointment was his payback for supporting the washington machine when they needed him; but in the process ensuring he'd never be re-elected in Colorado? Just wondering.
LLS
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