In an email Tuesday, BLM spokeswoman Heather Feeney said the bureau was still in the process of reviewing lease nominations and had not reached any final decisions. “No one is traveling to Moab from around the world to see flaring, or to see oil and gas operations,” Bloch said. Trump officials have pressed to expand oil and gas drilling across the country, both on public lands and offshore. Prairie Hills Oil and Gas LLC, which has nominated the majority of parcels, appears to be a small company with one well in North Dakota. Last month, a federal judge in Idaho voided nearly 1 million acres of oil and gas leases on Western lands.

Source: Washington Post March 18, 2020 11:05 UTC