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New Plan Could Open Thousands Of Acres In Ruby Mtns. To Drilling

Up to 54,000 acres of Nevada’s Ruby Mountains could be leased for oil and gas drilling under a new plan by the Trump Administration.

The popular range is located in northeastern Nevada and is home to the scenic Lamoille Canyon.

Earlier this summer, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto joined a chorus of thousands of hikers, hunters, anglers, and conservationists seeking to prevent the U.S. Forest Service from leasing the land.

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Through a public records request, the Center for Biological Diversity obtained documents showing the U.S. Forest Service does plan to auction public land for drilling and fracking.

The land is crucial habitat for mule deer, priority habitat for the greater sage grouse and also the threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout.

In a statement, the Center for Biological Diversity said the new documents show the plans require drilling or fracking to be done from public and private lands adjacent to national forest lands, but that it will not protect water or wildlife in the area.