Adobe Town Lease Sale on Hold
Excerpts:
Wyoming Bureau of Land Management officials announced Wednesday they had deferred 15 oil and gas lease parcels from being included in a Dec. 1 public auction, "pending Washington Office guidance on wilderness issues."
The lease parcels in question total 14,842 acres. The parcels reside within a citizens' proposed wilderness area at Adobe Town in south-central Wyoming -- a highly sensitive terrain decorated with sand stone spires. The area is so remote, it's usually where Wyoming's state logo is stamped on maps.
…"The BLM's action comes after a request from a number of conservation groups, including the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council, Wyoming Outdoor Council, The Wilderness Society, Wyoming Wilderness Association and Center for Native Ecosystems.
Though pleased the BLM decided to defer the Adobe Town lease parcels, conservationists say they're concerned about a possible trend whereby oil and gas companies specifically target environmentally sensitive areas, sensing that tougher environmental regulations will come with the Obama administration
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About Ben Beach
A graduate of Harvard with a law degree from Catholic University, Ben worked for The Wilderness Society from May 1984 to November 2011, making him our longest-serving staff member. He edited Wilderness magazine and our newsletter. Ben was also... More about Ben Beach
