“About 89 percent of Utah’s public lands are currently open to leasing, including lands bordering treasured national parks and monuments. The oil and gas industry is allowed to purchase leases and then hold onto them — therefore restricting public access — until the company is ready to drill. In Utah alone, there are over 1,460 non-producing oil and gas leases consuming 1.7 million acres of land — land that could be being utilized by the public instead of being monopolized by the oil and gas industry. There is virtually no statute of limitations on these parcels of land; they can remain unused for years, stripping valuable recreational experiences from visitors and economic opportunities from local communities and small businesses.”

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865688809/Op-ed-Non-producing-oil-and-gas-leases-tie-up-17-million-acres-of-land-in-Utah.html