Conservation groups filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. government seeking to block a plan to blast cliff walls in eastern Utah’s Gate Canyon. The project, approved by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in April 2026, involves widening and paving a dirt road for oil trucks serving the Uinta Basin. The Center for Biological Diversity and other plaintiffs allege the construction would destroy 19th-century historical inscriptions and threaten protected wildlife.
The legal challenge centers on a winding dirt track that Duchesne County proposed to replace with a paved route. Gate Canyon serves as a northern corridor off Nine Mile Canyon, an area the BLM describes as the "world’s longest art gallery" due to its dense concentration of Native rock art. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, claims the bureau approved the project without sufficient public disclosure and in violation of federal statutes including the National Environmental Policy Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and the Endangered Species Act.
According to the 50-page complaint, the planned blasting would destroy 100-foot cliffs containing at least 47 historic sites. These include carvings by Black U.S. Army soldiers, known as "Buffalo Soldiers," who built the original road in the 19th century, as well as names inscribed by European pioneers using axle grease. The plaintiffs also state the cliffs provide habitat for the Mexican spotted owl, a species listed as threatened under federal law. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of the Interior declined to comment on the litigation.
The lawsuit specifically affects Duchesne County officials, oil industry transport contractors, and conservationists concerned with the preservation of the Uinta Basin. Nine Mile Canyon contains more than 1,000 archaeological sites and 10,000 individual images. The project would replace a quiet, unpaved area with a busy industrial highway designed to accommodate heavy oil trucks.
The project involves the potential destruction of 100-foot-high cliff faces and 47 documented historic sites located around 100 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. The plaintiffs argue that the BLM's approval process was "rushed" and lacked required environmental and cultural impact oversight.
The sources attribute a policy priority of expanding domestic oil and gas production to the administration of President Donald Trump. A similar recent precedent occurred on October 3, 2026, when a judge blocked the Trump administration from building a border barrier through Big Bend National Park in Texas pending environmental review. The next steps in this case involve the federal government's response to the complaint in U.S. District Court.