02.04.09

Cantwell praises Secretary Salazar's decision to withdraw controversial Utah oil leases

Today, Sen. Cantwell issued the following statement following news the Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will withdraw 77 contested oil and gas leases in Utah that were issued in December.  Before the lease sale took place, Cantwell sent a letter to then-Secretary Dirk Kempthorne urging him to postpone lease sales on sensitive wilderness lands and lands adjacent to national parks in Utah until the likely impacts could be understood.

“The Bush Administration rushed to issue these oil and gas leases before fully understanding how they could harm some of our country's most pristine wilderness areas and national parks," said Cantwell.  "By withdrawing these contested oil and gas leases, the Obama Administration and Secretary Salazar are living up to our responsibly to balance the protection of our nation’s natural resources with responsible resource development."

Since being elected to the Senate, Cantwell has committed herself to protecting our nation’s environment and natural resources. She has opposed making the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge available for oil exploration, introduced the Roadless Area Conservation Act which would protect 58.5 million acres of the United States’ last remaining pristine forestlands, and championed legislation that designated 106,000 acres of land in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest as the Wild Sky Wilderness Area. 

 

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