National Parks in Utah worried over roads from oil exploration

From an article in the Deseret News:

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National Park Service officials worry that if the oil and gas industry is allowed to drill on land next to two national parks and a national monument in Utah, the companies may need new roads that will be unwanted leftovers once the oil and gas are gone.

The concern is that those roads will become new entry points into the parks, creating potential access and land-use headaches for park regulators.

"It's a huge issue you need to look at holistically," said Cordell Roy, coordinator for the park service in Utah. "It's not just an immediate impacts issue."

Park Service officials this week are studying areas surrounding Arches and Canyonlands national parks and Dinosaur National Monument, working with the BLM on a compromise that will protect sensitive areas from drilling.

"I can't say these leases are going to be deferred," Roy said. "I don't know what the outcome will be. We'll have to see."

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