Redrock Wilderness Wins

Morgan Maher

In December of 2008, Utah's Redrock wilderness was put on the auction block to be sold to the highest bidder.

In a wonderful victory for the planet, a recent federal court order blocked the Bush Administration from proceeding with the lease sale of 110,000 acres of Utah's Redrock wilderness to oil and gas companies. 

Environmental groups led by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the Wilderness Society, and Earthjustice filed a lawsuit on December 17, 2008 to prevent the leasing of public lands.

In his ruling, Judge Ricardo M. Urbina of the U.S. District Court, found that the "'development of domestic energy resources' … is far outweighed by the public interest in avoiding irreparable damage to public lands and the environment." While the ruling is only a temporary restraining order, with the merits of the case reviewed later in 2009, Judge Urbina found that the conservation groups "have shown a likelihood of success on the merits."

 

Creative Commons image "Arches National Park" by jakesmome via Flickr.