Within hours of taking office, President Biden issued an Executive Order many anticipate will further hurt the already struggling economy in the Uintah Basin. The order is named the ‘Executive Order on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis.’ Among other things, all new oil and gas lease and drilling permits that have been issued for federal lands are now suspended for 60 days. Not surprisingly, there has been an immediate response from communities across the country that support the energy industry within the United States. As of Thursday evening, a group of leaders in Utah were making their opposition of the Executive Order known. The group’s official letter was not yet available at the time of this report. When it is available it will be posted on governor.utah.gov/news.
