I got an email from Robert Redford (yes, THE Robert Redford) on Inauguration Day, informing me that a federal judge blocked the Bush Administration from executing a last-minute lease sale of 110,000 acres of Utah's Redrock Wilderness to oil and gas companies. I don't know if you've ever visited this part of the United States, but it's absolutely gorgeous terrain and well worth protecting. This is a huge victory for all of us, since it involved public lands that should be held in trust for succeeding generations.
Mr. Redford is a trustee for NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). The NRDC and other environmental groups asked for a temporary restraining order against this final endeavor by the Bush Administration and were rewarded for the efforts when Judge Ricardo M. Urbina granted the restraining order, saying "...the development of energy resources...is far outweighed by the public interest in avoiding irreparable damage to public lands and the environment." Apparently the case will be heard later this year, but the government is not going to be allowed to cash the checks that had already been issued for our nation's precious wilderness.
Thank you, Mr. Redford, and everyone who supported the blocking of this sneaky sell-off of our national resources. Let's all support future efforts to protect Utah's Redrock Wilderness. Here's a link to help you get started.
NRDC Save the Biogems
For more information about the attempted Bush auction and the subsequent restraining order, click here.
---Editor of AGNADL
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