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Conservation Groups Set to Sue Over Planned Blasting and Paving of Utah’s Gate Canyon
By Drooid · · How we work
Planned Lawsuit Over Gate Canyon Road Project
Conservation organizations, led by the Center for Biological Diversity, intend to file a lawsuit on October 8 challenging the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) plan to blast 100-foot (30-meter) cliff walls in Gate Canyon and replace a winding dirt track with a paved oil-truck highway. The filing alleges that the agency’s April 2026 decision to approve the project was rushed and concealed from the public.
Background and Environmental Significance
Gate Canyon branches north from Nine Mile Canyon, a 46-mile (74-km) corridor described as the world’s longest gallery of Native rock art. The canyon and its surrounding area contain the nation’s largest concentration of such art—more than 1,000 sites with over 10,000 images, some dating to prehistoric times. In addition to the cultural resources, the cliffs provide habitat for the threatened Mexican spotted owl.
Key Stakeholders
- Center for Biological Diversity – plaintiff organization asserting violations of the National Environmental Policy Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and Endangered Species Act.
- U.S. Bureau of Land Management – federal agency that approved the blasting and paving plan.
- U.S. Department of the Interior – parent agency; a spokesperson declined comment, citing pending litigation.
- Historical Inscribers – 19th-century Black U.S. Army “Buffalo Soldiers” and European pioneers who left names on the canyon walls using axe marks and axle grease.
Potential Impacts and Legal Issues
If implemented, the road would convert the culturally sensitive Nine Mile Canyon corridor into a busy oil-transport route, threatening at least 47 documented historic sites within Gate Canyon, including the Buffalo Soldiers’ inscriptions. Plaintiffs argue that the project contravenes federal statutes protecting historic preservation and endangered species. The lawsuit also highlights broader concerns about balancing energy infrastructure development with the preservation of irreplaceable cultural and ecological resources.