U.S. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar said that the department is canceling 77 oil and gas leases in Utah issued in the final days of the Bush Administration. The decision means that more than 100,000 acres of Utah wild lands and recreation destinations will be protected from oil and gas drilling.
The lands that will be protected are near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Dinosaur National Monument, and Nine Mile Canyon include lands that contain iconic hiking, paddling and camping destinations and trails to the nation's greatest density of ancient rock art.
Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) joined other groups in protesting both the lease sales and the final Resource Management Plans (RMPs) under which the leases were issued.
