BLM CONSIDERS EXPANDING OIL AND GAS LEASING IN NORTHEAST UTAH

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management issued the following press release:

VERNAL, Utah- The Bureau of Land Management is considering a proposal to allow oil and gas leasing on about 5,200 acres of the federal mineral estate underlying theOuray National Wildlife Refuge near Vernal in northeast Utah. The proposal includes a "no surface occupancy" requirement, meaning that, if approved, any future lease development would have to be accomplished through directional or horizontal drilling from well pads outside the refuge.

The effort aligns withSecretary's Order3418, which supports President Trump's Executive Order14154, "Unleashing American Energy," aimed at increasing energy exploration and pr...