This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Federal officials are rescheduling a sale of oil and gas leases on public land in Utah that was delayed amid protests from environmental activists.
The Bureau of Land Management said Tuesday that the sale will be Feb. 16 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City.
Officials said they made the rare move to delay the November auction because the room where the sales are held might have been too small.
Several environmental activist groups with the movement Keep it in the Ground had applauded the delay. They had planned to protest the auction, saying it would accelerate climate change and harm the environment.
BLM spokeswoman Megan Crandall says the planned auction involves more than 37,000 acres of federal land in the northeastern part of the state, primarily around Price and Vernal.