The Bureau of Land Management’s next auction of oil and gas leases in Utah is under fire from a multitude of environmental, public health and wilderness groups. Topping the list of concerns is the likelihood that the Dec. 11 lease sale would worsen Uinta Basin’s persistent winter-time ozone levels.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is poised to declare Duchesne and Uintah counties out of compliance for emissions of ozone, a pollutant whose high concentrations are attributed to oil and gas development. That determination, expected as soon as Oct. 15, would trigger emission-reducing measures under the Clean Air Act that are expected to put on a damper on future drilling and require industry to stem the clouds of fumes rising from the oil patch.