Editorial: Rule change

New drilling regulations just announced by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will restore balance to oil and gas exploration policy that was sorely lacking during the George W. Bush administration.

Bush's "drilling first" approach put millions of acres of public land on the auction block with little or no concern for the value of quiet recreation, wildlife habitat, scenery, archaeological treasures or water quality.

But Salazar's reforms of the Bureau of Land Management's environmental review practices, and his decision to replace Selma Sierra with Juan Palma as Utah BLM director, point the national and local offices toward better stewardship. Sierra dutifully carried out the Bush policies and her regional management plans elevated the interests of energy developers and off-road-vehicle users. Utahns concerned with preserving Utah's fragile lands will not miss her.

Palma's experience overseeing all BLM lands in the eastern United States and his background as a Westerner should serve Utah well. He managed the BLM Las Vegas field office and the Vale District in Oregon. He is a Brigham Young University graduate with a degree in environmental science from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Salazar's reforms include comprehensive reviews of all land nominated for drilling leases in order to determine potential environmental impacts. Doing its homework up front will reduce the number of protests and costly appeals the BLM has had to deal with. That's good for the land and good for business interests. Companies can now bid on sites approved for drilling without the concern they've had that their lease will be held up in court indefinitely.

The new policy will also reduce the number of "categorical exclusions," which allow the BLM to approve some leases based on old environmental studies. The BLM Price field office granted leases under this provision for drilling near Nine Mile Canyon, one of the world's largest collections of ancient Indian rock art. Opponents successfully argued in court that the leases violated the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

The reasonable changes Salazar is making probably would have prevented the sale of 77 leases near Utah national parks, Nine Mile Canyon and Dinosaur National Monument just as Bush was leaving Washington in December 2008. A federal court put a hold on those leases and Salazar rightly withdrew them.

Now, it is less likely that the right to use, and misuse, such valuable lands will go to the highest bidder.

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Source: http://www.sltrib.com/D=g/ci_15119932