Oil Firm Denied Access to Drill in Circle Cliffs Area

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ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) --An oil drilling company seeking to explore for petroleum deposits on federal land in southern Utah has been denied.

The National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management rejected a proposal this week by Viking Oil Exploration to drill in the Circle Cliffs area in Glen Canyon. The agencies said "no" in part because the company did not provide some critical information about the project. The company's lease also expired last month.

Back in 1969, the company gained mineral rights to the land, which was managed by the BLM at that time. Now it's part of the park service, specifically Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Capitol Reef National Park. Both areas were created after the lease was issued.

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Information from: Deseret Morning News, http://www.deseretnews.com