The Bureau of Land Management has decided to move forward with auctioning off thousands of acres of public land in Utah for oil and gas drilling.
Nearly 52,000 acres of land in southeastern Utah are set to be auctioned in March as part of President Donald Trump’s “America First” energy strategy.
Environmental and historic preservation groups quickly denounced the decision, calling the land archaeologically and culturally sensitive.
Several spots harbor Ancestral Puebloan habitation records that date back centuries. The public is still allowed to comment on the environmental assessment until October 23 on the BLM website.
