http://action.sierraclub.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=89303.0 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFebruary 4, 2009 Contact: Kristina Johnson(415) 977-5619  Interior Department Halts Oil and Gas Leases Near Utah National Parks Washington, D.C. – The Interior Department today announced that it wouldcancel leases issued under the Bush administration that would have allowedoil and gas drilling on more than 100,000 acres of Utah wilderness, much ofit surrounding iconic treasures like Arches National Park. Since December, the Sierra Club and a coalition of environmental groupshave been working to protect areas near Arches and Canyonlands NationalParks, Dinosaur National Monument, and rock art-rich Nine Mile Canyon fromoil and gas drilling. In December, the coalition filed suit to stop theleasing, and, in January, Judge Ricardo M. Urbina of the U.S. DistrictCourt granted a temporary restraining order preventing the Bureau of LandManagement (BLM) from moving forward with these leases. Today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that the agency wouldcancel the leases.  Statement of Sierra Club Deputy Director Bruce Hamilton "Today's announcement by Secretary Salazar signals a new era in the way ournatural resources are managed. The Obama administration clearly understandsthat instead of allowing the oil industry to destroy places like ArchesNational Park, we should be investing in the kind of clean energy solutionsthat curb global warming and leave our natural treasures intact." Kristina JohnsonDeputy Press SecretarySierra ClubOffice: (415) 977-5619Cell: (541) 914-974485 Second Street - 2nd FloorSan Francisco, CA [log in to unmask] 
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