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Take Action to Prevent Oil & Gas Leasing Along Utah’s White River

Jan 13th, 2023 Written by Landon Newell

The White River has been called a “floater’s and paddler’s paradise.” Meandering through the high desert of the Colorado Plateau in eastern Utah before joining the Green River, its deep canyons, soaring cliffs, rocky ridges, and unique geological features provide stunning vistas for those lucky enough to visit the area.

But now, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is preparing to sell several oil and gas leases along the scenic White River, as well as on BLM-identified lands with wilderness characteristics in the wild Book Cliffs.

Oil and gas development in this region would replace the scenic beauty, quiet stillness, and intense night skies with the sights and sounds of industrial development. It would also further exacerbate the climate crisis.

The BLM is accepting public “scoping” comments on this new proposal through Thursday, January 19th. Please take action to protect this special place.

Click here to tell the BLM: No new drilling along Utah’s White River! (follow the “Participate Now” buttons to enter your comment).

White River. © Ray Bloxham/SUWA

The White River landscape is one of the few remaining undeveloped stretches of public land in the Uinta Basin—a region that suffers from some of the worst air quality in the nation due to the more than 10,000 existing oil and gas wells drilled to date.

The BLM’s move to lock up even more public land for oil and gas development is short-sighted and irresponsible. There is no legal mandate to offer these leases—the agency has broad discretion not to lease public lands for development—and there is no need to sacrifice Utah’s remarkable wild places for fossil fuel extraction.

In fact, Utah, like most western states, has a surplus of BLM-managed lands that are under lease but not in development—with only 42 percent of Utah’s total leased land currently in development.

Please take a moment to tell the BLM that the White River is too special to drill.

Thank you for taking action!