The head of an oil-exploration company said he will appeal a decision by the government to stop an environmental assessment of a proposed drilling project in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
The government didn’t get enough information from Viking Oil Exploration Inc. to complete the assessment, Glen Canyon spokesman Kevin Schneider said. The lease expired Feb. 28.
Viking had proposed to drill an exploratory well in Garfield County near the southern end of Capitol Reef National Park, Schneider said.
“These were questions about very specific site impacts. Without answers, it was impossible to continue the environmental assessment,” he said.
In 2005, company President Chuck Einarsen said oil deposits below the 730-acre area could be worth $24 billion.
He said he was disappointed with the decision and will appeal.
“I’ve been waiting 16 years for them to approve the (drilling permit),” Einarsen said Wednesday. “Then they sent me two letters with (60) questions they wanted me to answer, and gave me 30 days to respond. ... They were so unreasonable in their request.”
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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