- Citizens speak for and against a Master Leasing Plan at workshop hosted by Montezuma County.
- Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against agents in 2009 antiquities raid in southeast Utah.
Citizens spoke both for and against the idea of a Master Leasing Plan on Thursday night at a workshop put on by Montezuma County, but the county commissioners themselves made it clear they don’t see the need for such a plan. The Bureau of Land Management is considering developing the plan to oversee energy development in parts of the county. Thursday, the commissioners heard from locals worried about impacts of oil and gas drilling, and others who said there are too many regulations already. Commissioner Keenan Ertel said because the county has no sales tax, continued mineral extraction is critical.
A federal judge has dismissed the remaining parts of a lawsuit against federal agents brought by the family of a Blanding, Utah, physician who committed suicide in 2009 after being accused of artifacts trafficking. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby said the family of James Redd failed to show that agents with the BLM had violated Redd’s constitutional rights. Redd was one of two dozen people arrested in 2009 in a BLM-run sting. He killed himself the next day. His family charged that the agency used excessive force in bringing 22 armed officers to their home and subjecting Redd to a lengthy interrogation. The Redd family still has another lawsuit pending against the FBI and BLM for wrongful death.
