The San Rafael Swell is once again under attack from threats of oil and gas leasing. A news release from the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) says, “More than 35,000 acres —all of them identified by BLM as possessing wilderness value—have been placed on the auction block in BLM’s upcoming November 2015 oil and gas lease sale, including the Limestone Cliffs, Molen Reef, Mussentuchit (pronounced “musn’t-touch-it”) Badlands, Rock Canyon, and Upper Muddy Creek areas.”
Some of the proposed leases are near well-known petroglyph panels and within sight of Capitol Reef National Park. SUWA plans a legal challenge.