Utah road plan would blast canyon cliffs; lawsuit says 47 historic sites 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…
A federal lawsuit has been filed against the US Bureau of Land Management over a proposed plan to widen and pave a road through Gate Canyon in Utah. Conservation groups argue that the project could destroy cliff walls with 19th-century inscriptions and damage Native American rock art. The lawsuit challenges the approval of the project to widen, straighten and pave the existing Gate Canyon Road, which would involve blasting canyon walls that are up to 100 feet high to accommodate increased traffic.
The plaintiffs identify at least 47 historic sites along the road, including inscriptions left by Black American soldiers and European pioneers, which could be destroyed by the blasting. The proposed road could also increase oil truck traffic and negatively impact the habitat of the threatened Mexican spotted owl. The conservation groups allege that the Bureau of Land Management failed to adequately assess the project's effects on cultural resources, wildlife, and the surrounding environment.
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