Utah environmentalists sue feds over plan to pave canyon with Native art

A coalition of environmental groups sued the Bureau of Land Management Tuesday over its approval of a plan to realign and pave five miles of road through Utah's Gate Canyon, which feeds into Nine Mile Canyon, home to more than 10,000 historical and cultural sites including Native American rock art. The project, sought by Duchesne County to move oil tanker traffic, would allow up to 1,000 vehicles a day, about half of them heavy trucks, through a corridor the BLM's own studies have found dense with cultural and archaeological resources.

Plaintiffs say the agency rushed this version through after similar proposals in 2015 and 2022 drew heavy public pushback, this time posting the decision without a public notice or comment period. They also say the BLM never analyzed impacts on the threatened Mexican spotted owl or other wildlife in the canyon, including bighorn sheep and golden eagles.

The lawsuit accuses the bureau of violating federal environmental law and ignoring its own land-use plans and preservation obligations. Neither the BLM nor the Department of Justice responded to requests for comment.

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