Salazar Halts Oil and Gas Leases in Utah

In the final days of his Presidency, George W. Bush hurriedly pushed to lease 77 of Utah's land parcels, close to national parks, to drill oil and gas. As soon as the Obama administration stepped in office, newly appointed Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar put a hold on all 77 leases while the department of the Interior reviewed them. On October 8th, Salazar anounced his finding regarding the controversial leases near federally protected lands in Utah. His decision cancelled eight of the leases (the most outrageous leases which would have put national icons in danger), delayed fifty-two leases, and allowed seventeen of them to continue.
This issue is important because it shows people the new administration's dedication to upholding environmental standards. It gives the United States an opportunity to set an example for other countries to protect their most precious lands while pursuing other fuel alternative. This might also prove to be influential during the Copenhagen meeting, taking place at the end of this year.
The freezing of 60 of the77 leases is exactly what needs to be done in order to show the petroleum industry as well as the American people that fossil fuels are quickly becoming a thing of the past. With fossil fuels being such a large contributor to global warming, it is pertinent that we begin to reduce our reliance on them as well as begin to implement alternative sources of energy. The Department of the Interior needs to begin to push for clean energy solutions taht will protect breath-taking wild lands and important wildlife areas as well as cut carbon pollution.
According to many conservation groups, if these leases are approved they would destroy critical wildlife habitat, compromise air quality, and spoil one of the nation's premier scenic areas. Shockingly, an analysis conducted by the Wilderness Society found that the leases would contribute less than two days worth of natural gas and less than two hours worth of oil at today's rate of consumption. Also, Salazar stated tat unlocking petroleum from hard rock would require an enormous amout of power and water. It is obviously clear that the production results are far outweighed by the damage these proposed leases could have on public lands. Not to mention the fact that te impending global warming crisis calls for a reduction or even cessation of our reliance on fossil fuels.