Oil and gas lease sales vs. Climate change

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/04/09/09greenwire-blm-suspends-some-oil-and-gas-lease-sales-to-r-83918.html

This article was in the New York Times online edition earlier this week. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has delayed all oil and gas lease sales in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota while the agency studies their potential impact on climate change. The decision to delay sales follows a settlement the BLM signed last month that suspended 61 oil and gas leases on nearly 38,000 acres in Montana the agency sold in 2008 until it considers the greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas production.

The BLM agreed to postpone the sales while they complete reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act. BLM said the extra reviews will allow it to provide assurances to industry so it can move forward with greater certainty in leasing parcels and developing oil and gas resources.