Protests due: July 27
The Sale Notice for Utah Bureau of Land Management’s (the Bureau’s) September 2023 Oil and Gas Lease Sale is now available. According to the press release, website, and sale notice, the Utah Bureau is proposing to offer 15 parcels totaling 31,808 acres. Protests on the parcel are due July 27 by 4:30 pm MT. Protests must be sent by email.
Rocky Mountain Wild has prepared a screen showing conflicts between the proposed parcels and important wildlife, wilderness, and other resources values.
An interactive map showing the parcels and selected conflicts is available here: https://rockymountainwild.org/oil_and_gas/utah. More information about this and other sales is available in the Upcoming Lease Sale Tracker Google Sheet.
Significant conservation conflicts identified include:
- Inventoried roadless areas in Fishlake National Forest
- Lands within 10 miles of Capitol Reef National Park
- Crucial winter habitat for mule deer
- Lands with low potential for oil and gas development
Please take a moment and send your protests to the Bureau asking them to protect the wildlife and wild lands in this region by removing affected areas from the proposed parcels list. There is important information about how to protest in the Sale Notice (pdf document) and on the Utah 2023 Oil and Gas Competitive Lease Sale ePlanning website. There is additional information in the Press Release.
Additional Resources
- Oil & Gas Toolkit – including a guide from our Senior Conservation Biologist, Megan Mueller, on how to write technical comments about impacts to plan and animal species. Check it out under “Writing comments and Protects” here.
- Virtual Event Recording: Oil and Gas Lease Sale Comment Writing Workshop
RMW screens each and every oil and gas lease sale in our region. Help fund this important work, consider a one-time donation or monthly donation through our Colorado Gives portal.