US Interior Chief Holds Off On Federal Oil Lease Sale After Local
https://www.rigzone.com/news/wire/us_interior_chief_holds_off_on_federal_oil_lease_sale_after_local_outcry-05-mar-2018-153763-article/March 5 (Reuters) - U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Monday announced he has postponed a second federal oil and gas lease sale planned for March in less than a week in response to local opposition to the possibility of drilling near national parks and monuments.
Zinke took to Twitter to announce the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will remove 17,300 acres out of the planned March 13 sale of 63,496 acres of federal land for oil and gas leases near the tourist city of Livingston, Montana, which is a gateway to the Yellowstone National Park
"After talking with residents and local, state and federal officials, we have decided to defer the oil and gas sale around Livingston," Zinke wrote.
The remaining 83 parcels, which cover over 46,000 acres will be offered for lease via an online auction as planned. The leases last for 10 years.
Zinke's announcement came just four days after he made a similar surprise statement to the Albequerque Journal, postponing an oil and gas lease sale planned for March 8 near New Mexico's Chaco Canyon, a UNESCO world heritage site which contains numerous Anasazi ruins....
