Guardians and allies sued the Trump administration today for leasing more than 115,000 acres of public land in western Colorado and northern Utah for oil and gas development, arguing that the Bureau of Land Management did not properly analyze environmental and public health risks before granting the leases.
Interior Secretary Zinke is risking human lives by skipping environmental reviews, Guardians and our allies contend. Elevated levels of ozone pollution caused by fracking cause asthma attacks, cardiovascular disease, and premature death, and are particularly dangerous for children, seniors, and those with respiratory conditions. The once-pristine area where these leases are located is already plagued with significant air pollution due to fracking, comparable with the pollution in densely populated cities like Denver and Los Angeles.
The leased area also includes land near Dinosaur National Monument. A recent national study found that park visitation drops by at least eight percent when ozone pollution is high.
Read the press release.
