By Dan Frosch | The New York Times
The San Rafael Swell, with its miles of twisting sandstone spires and towering mesas, has long been a draw for hiking and canyoneering, and has even been considered for designation as a national monument.
So last month, when the federal Bureau of Land Management announced its intention to open portions of the 2,000-square-mile stretch of central Utah for drilling by private oil and gas companies, conservation groups reacted with alarm.
The debate over the proposed sale of drilling leases has rekindled tensions between those seeking to shield wilderness areas, and the Obama administration, which has come under pressure from oil and gas companies to develop more public lands as it pursues a policy of energy independence.
For nearly 100 years, the bureau has leased tracts of federally managed land to energy companies, which have sought to tap reserves in oil- and gas-rich states like Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Disputes over the location of the drilling are not uncommon.
