December, 19 2008, 11:10am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Erin Allweiss, 202-513-6254 or 202-277-8370 (cell)
Auction Proceeds, But Legal Action Delays Damage to Utah Wilderness
Negotiations Provide Opportunity to Save Utah's Wild Areas
WASHINGTON
In a move that could save 100,000 acres of pristine Utah
wilderness from destruction, an agreement between the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) and a coalition of environmental and preservation
groups was filed in court late last night. The deal will temporarily
prevent BLM from issuing leases on 80 contested parcels of Utah
wilderness, including land adjacent to national parks, for 30 days
(until January 19). Although BLM will go forward with today's auction,
the agency has agreed not to issue the contested leases. This will give
Judge Urbina of the U.S. District Court time to hear the case.
The
environmental and preservation groups filing the case include:
Earthjustice, Grand Canyon Trust, National Parks Conservation
Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Natural
Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, the Southern Utah Wilderness
Alliance, and the Wilderness Society. They issued the following joint
statement:
"Our legal actions
have delayed today's transfer of pristine Utah wilderness, but the
fight is not over. We will get our day in court with BLM, and we will
do all we can to protect Utah's unspoiled landscapes. Yet President
Bush can still do something to save these areas: he can take Utah's
unprotected wilderness off the auction block for good. This is not a
mess that should be left to the Obama administration."
The case is SUWA et al v. Allred, 08-CV-02187.
Click here for the agreement filed with the U.S. District court.
Click here for more background information on the lawsuit.
Click here for maps and photographs.
NRDC works to safeguard the earth--its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. We combine the power of more than three million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates across the globe to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild.
(212) 727-2700LATEST NEWS
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