Colo. county commissioners rescind controversial oil shale resolution

Garfield County commissioners have rescinded an April 9 resolution opposing the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's plans to limit the amount of acreage to be made available for oil shale leasing.

Commissioners, in a 3-0 vote Tuesday, acknowledged that notice of a March 27 meeting in Vernal, Utah, where commissioners from several Colorado, Utah and Wyoming counties joined industry representatives in drafting the resolution, was not adequately noticed.

All three Garfield commissioners attended the closed-door meeting hosted by the Uintah County commissioners.

Questions have been raised in a lawsuit filed by two citizen groups challenging the legality of that meeting, and whether proper notice was given.