U.S. to open public land near parks for drilling

Last update: November 7, 2008 - 7:57 PM

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The Bureau of Land Management has expanded its oil and gas lease program in eastern Utah to include tens of thousands of acres on or near the boundaries of three national parks, according to revised maps published this week.

National Park Service officials say the decision to open lands close to Arches National Park and Dinosaur National Monument and within eyeshot of Canyonlands National Park was made without the kind of consultation that has been routine.

The inclusion of the new lease tracts angered environmental groups, which were already critical of the bureau's original lease proposal, made public this fall, because they said it could lead to industrial activity in empty areas of the state, some prized for their sweeping vistas, such as Desolation Canyon, and others for their ancient petroglyphs, such as Nine Mile Canyon.

The bureau's new maps, made public on Election Day, show 40 to 45 new areas where leasing will also be allowed.

The tracts will be sold at auction on Dec. 19, the last lease sale before President Bush leaves office. The new leases were added after a map of the proposed tracts was given to the National Park Service for comment this fall. The proximity of industrial activity concerns park managers, who worry about the impact on the air, water and wildlife within the park, said Michael D. Snyder, a regional director of the Park Service based in Denver.

The Park Service is usually given one to three months to comment on leases, Snyder added. "This is the first time," he said, "where we have not had sufficient opportunity to comment."

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