The Trump administration’s vision of American “energy dominance” is taking shape across the West, and, for Utah, that means a return to oil and gas leasing in places valued for wildlife habitat, recreation and artifacts — along with new limits on public participation in decision making in the name of “streamlining” the approval process.
Later this year, the Bureau of Land Management’s Utah office intends to embark on two of its largest lease offerings in years, putting out more than a half-million acres for auction despite an existing inventory of more than 1 million acres of undeveloped leases.