SALT LAKE CITY—Auction players are furious about all the money they have tied up in energy leases on public lands that they can’t get their hands on.
The Associated Press has found that the federal government is holding nearly $100 million in payments for leases it hasn’t issued for oil or gas drilling across the Rocky Mountains.
The leases have been held in limbo for as long as seven years because of environmental protests and lawsuits. The backlog grew exponentially under President George W. Bush’s administration, which pushed for more domestic drilling.
Brian Wixom, managing partner of Salt Lake City-based International Petroleum, says he wants his leases or his money—hundreds of thousands of dollars—back. Government records show 46 of the firm’s leases have been held under administrative review since 2005.
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On the Net:
Bureau of Land Management,
Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States,
