Conoco Can Drill at National Monument

Conoco has received final permission from Utah to begin drilling for oil Tuesday on state land in the nation’s newest national monument, Grand Staircase-Escalante. The approval last week has prompted environmentalists to lodge protests with Conoco and its parent, DuPont Co. Utah law does not allow a legal challenge to such drilling permits. But members of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance said they hope to convince the companies that drilling in the area would be a public relations disaster. Conoco said that the project was still in the planning stages and that work probably won’t start on Tuesday. Houston-based Conoco has pledged to restore the site if no oil is found.