BREAKING: BLM Defers Lease Sales in Huerfano River Valley, Near Great Sand Dunes National Park

Denver, CO-- According to AP, today, in response to mounting public pressure against the sellout of public lands for dirty fuels, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced that the agency will defer the lease sale near Great Sand Dunes National Park and in the Huerfano River Valley Community until it consults further with the Navajo Nation. While the decision does not mean that the leases are permanently off-the-table, it demonstrates a substantial victory for the community and advocates who fought against the detrimental effort to frack here.

In response, Kimberly Pope Organizing Representative for the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America Campaign:

“This is more than a win for public lands and parks; the deferment of the September lease sales in the Huerfano River Valley and near Great Sand Dunes National Park represents the importance of consulting directly-impacted communities in the face of dirty fuels extraction.

“Stopping the encroachment of dirty fuel development on Great Sand Dunes National Park and the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness will not only preserve these great wild places, but the outdoor economy, wildlife, culture and community they support.

“We must continue to fulfill our obligation to leave great natural places for others to experience. This deferment is a great victory, but the fight isn’t over. We will continue our fight until lease sales are permanently halted. Sierra Club will work with local communities every step of the way in making sure corporate polluters don’t get their hands on the Huerfano River Valley and lands next to Great Sand Dunes National Park and the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness.”