On Aug. 11, the Bureau of Land Management announced that they would remove land located within Grand and San Juan counties from the oil and gas lease sale during the week of September 28.
The proposed collection of parcels had raised concerns among residents, local government and conservation groups for its sheer size: the forty-nine parcels stretched across 82,010 acres near National Parks.
The sale will offer 23 parcels, totaling approximately 27,387.86 acres, located in Juab, Sanpete, Sevier, Emery, Duchesne and Uintah counties on lands managed by the BLM’s Richfield, Vernal, Price and Fillmore Field Offices.
“Understanding the nature of the proposed parcels, as well as gathering input from local communities, partners and the public are a priority for me as the new State Director for BLM Utah,” said BLM State Director Greg Sheehan. Sheehan began his tenure as Utah state director on Aug. 2, 2020.
A 10-day public protest period for the September sale ends on August 20, 2020. Protests may also be submitted via email to blm_ut_lease_sales@blm.gov with the subject line: September 2020 Protest. Electronic protests must be received by 4:30 p.m. on August 20, 2020.
Links to the environmental assessments, lists, and maps of the parcels and the attached stipulations, and information on how to file a protest are online at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2000028/510.
