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After widespread public outrage, the Bureau of Land Management announced it would not offer oil and gas leases overlapping with Utah's Slickrock Trail, an iconic mountain bike trail sandwiched in between Moab and Arches National Park. The decision to temporarily defer the controversial leases came after Utah's governor, Moab's mayor, and more than 80 outdoor businesses called for the leases to be withdrawn.
While local leaders celebrated the temporary lease withdrawal, some raised the need for reforming how public lands are managed in order to balance recreation with energy production. Ashley Korenblat, CEO of Moab-based Western Spirit Cycling, noted, "The whole episode does illustrate that it is time for a new system."
The law that guides oil and gas leasing on public lands, the Mineral Leasing Act, was signed 100 years ago this week, and hasn't been updated in decades. Instead of balancing uses of public lands to benefit local communities, the law allows oil companies to anonymously nominate public lands they would like to see leased for drilling, then requires the BLM to analyze and offer leases to those lands at auction.
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A movement is growing from the ground up, with Westerners of all political stripes clamoring for action to save our way of life, starting with a national conservation goal of protecting 30% of our natural land by 2030 to stave off a looming extinction crisis.”
