US Sued over Plan to Blast Utah Canyon Inscribed by 19th Century ‘Buffalo Soldiers,’ European Pioneers
The suit says the project would damage 47 historic sites and threatened owl habitat while speeding oil traffic through a cultural landmark.
- On Tuesday, a coalition of environmental groups sued the Trump administration over plans to pave Gate Canyon in eastern Utah, challenging a project that would transform a scenic backcountry road into a highway for oil transport.
- The Bureau of Land Management approved the project in April to improve energy transport from the Uinta Basin to Carbon County. Plaintiffs argue the construction will destroy 100-foot cliffs containing 47 historic sites, including 19th-century inscriptions by Black American 'Buffalo Soldiers'.
- Gate Canyon feeds into Nine Mile Canyon, an archaeological area housing more than 1,000 art sites with over 10,000 images. Environmentalists allege the project threatens the threatened Mexican spotted owl and would accommodate 70-foot oil tankers with up to 1,000 vehicles daily.
- Lawsuit filings allege the BLM 'rushed its April 2026 decision' to approve the project and hid the process from the public. Environmentalists accuse the bureau of failing to issue public notices or open formal comment periods.
- The project reflects President Donald Trump's 'Drill, baby, drill' policy to expand domestic energy production. Similar road realignments proposed in 2015 and 2022 faced significant public pushback, establishing a pattern of controversy around this corridor.
11 Articles
11 Articles
The Independent
The Independent (US)Trump team sued over plan to blast Utah’s famed cliffs for oil truck highway
The Trump administration approved local officials’ request to pave Gate Canyon, despite the move violating environmental and cultural preservation laws, according to the lawsuit
US sued by conservation groups over plan to blast Utah canyon walls to build highway
Conservation groups sued the US government this week over plans to blast the cliff walls of an eastern Utah canyon and build an oil truck highway through an area covered in historic inscriptions and near world-renowned Native rock art.
Utah approved blasting 100-foot canyon cliffs to widen a 5.3-mile road for oil trucks; after two earlier plans failed, a new federal lawsuit says 47 historic sites and 19th-century inscriptions are at risk
Conservation organizations have launched a federal lawsuit against a proposed road paving initiative in Utah, citing risks to invaluable historic inscriptions and Native American rock art. Additionally, the project poses a threat to local wildlife, particularly the endangered Mexican spotted owl. The groups claim the US Bureau of Land Management bypassed essential evaluations, illuminating significant concerns surrounding environmental safeguard…
US sued over plan to blast Utah canyon inscribed by 19th century 'Buffalo Soldiers,' European pioneers
Conservation groups sued the US government this week over plans to blast the cliff walls of an eastern Utah canyon and build an oil truck highway through an area covered in historic inscriptions and near world-renowned Native rock art.
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