Groups Sue Over Planned Utah Canyon Highway Blasting

Three conservation groups sued the Bureau of Land Management, its Vernal assistant field manager and the Interior Department on Oct. 6, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, Central Division. The suit challenges BLM's April 2026 approval of a Duchesne County plan to blast, widen and pave the 5.3-mile Gate Canyon Road, about 100 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, for oil trucks from the Uinta Basin. Work would reach cliffs up to 100 feet high. Plaintiffs say at least 47 historic sites sit along or near the road, 43 of them National Register-eligible, including 19th-century inscriptions by Black Buffalo Soldiers and European pioneers and freighters, some in axle grease. Gate Canyon connects to about 46-mile Nine Mile Canyon, which BLM has called the world's longest art gallery, with more than 1,000 rock-art sites and over 10,000 images. The complaint alleges violations of the National Environmental Policy Act, National Historic Preservation Act, Endangered Species Act and Federal Land Policy and Management Act and cites wildlife including the Mexican spotted owl. CONTESTED: J. Michael Hansen said BLM approved the paving of paradise for a crude-oil highway and that it is like constructing a highway through the Louvre Museum. Landon Newell said BLM knew 2015 and 2022 versions faced fierce public headwinds, then hid the decision and rushed analysis and approval under Trump's Energy Dominance agenda. Plaintiffs claim inadequate public process and impact analysis. Interior declined comment due to pending litigation. The groups ask the court to set aside the approval. No ruling is in the record.