Obama’s Interior Secretary Ken Salazar voided 77 leases yesterday that the Bush administration sold to oil and gas companies right before leaving office. Bush’s last minute attempt to sell out these beautiful and environmentally sensitive areas, many of which border national parks like Redrock, Arches, and Canyonland, typifies his disgraceful disregard for conservation and blatant cronyism, which favored his greedy fossil fuel friends.

Salazar’s rebuke of those lameduck efforts, supported by environmentalists, federal judges and Robert Redford, indicates that the Obama Administration is serious about its commitment to environmental protection and alternative energy. There’s a long road ahead to undo previous mismanagment of our countries national resources, but this move is a good sign of change to come. Of course, this battle is not completely over yet, as some of the parcels may still end up going back to auction. And as we’ve learned before, not just anyone can bid on them.

takepart with the National Resource Defense Council by telling the Obama administration to make clean energy a top priority.

Photo: vtveen’s Flickr Photostream (Creative Commons)