WASHINGTON — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Thursday that oil and gas drilling will be permitted on some of the Utah land parcels near national parks that were hurriedly readied for leasing in the waning days of the Bush administration.

Salazar said at a media briefing that 17 parcels were approved for drilling and eight rejected. But no decision has been made on the fate of the majority of the disputed lands — 52 parcels totaling 69,373 acres. He said more work needs to be done to determine if those lands qualify for oil and gas leasing.

In some cases, the remaining work is minor, he said. For other parcels, the remaining issues are more substantive and it's unclear if they will ultimately be made available for leasing, he said. The disputed parcels are all in eastern or northeastern Utah, and much the land borders national parks and other areas prized for their recreational and cultural amenities.

All the lands totaling 77 parcels are under the control of the Bureau of Land Management. The review found extensive problems with how BLM employees have made decisions regarding which lands should be offered for leasing. Interior officials said those problems often stemmed from a lack of clarity about how leasing determinations should be made, resulting in differing interpretations by employees.

"The oil and gas resources under our public lands are an important part of our energy future, but we must ensure that development is happening in the right way and in the right places," Salazar said. He said he was instituting a series of reforms that will bring more clarity to the leasing process for employees and more certainty for energy companies.

The Bush administration's decision to offer the land for drilling drew fire from environmentalists and historic preservationists who said drilling might harm nearby parks and other protected lands.