On Friday, a federal judge barred drilling on over 300,000 acres in Wyoming for the second time in two years due to the government’s failure to assess the effect of climate change fully.
The environmental impact statements for 281 oil and gas leases were referred back to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for further review, according to documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before Judge Ralph Contreras.
That was Judge Contreras’s second such order involving the same leases. On Friday, he claimed that the BLM’s supplementary study in response to his 2019 decision violated the National Environmental Policy Act because it didn’t consider the cumulative effects of leases throughout the nation and area.
“Our commonsense decisions were based on the best available science,” BLM spokesman Richard Packer said in an emailed statement, adding that the agency would continue to “support domestic energy production and conserve our environment.”
WildEarth Guardians and Doctors for Social Responsibility, two environmental organizations, filed a lawsuit against the federal government, claiming that it violated environmental laws by leasing land in Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado for oil and gas production when Barack Obama was in office.
The decision made on Friday only applies to Wyoming leases granted during the state’s five 2015 and 2016 lease auctions. As part of its plan to increase oil and gas drilling on public lands, the Trump administration had contested the case, even though the leases were awarded before President Trump entered office.
We have covered some further news related to Wyoming. If you are interested in knowing about what circumstances happenings are around you. So you can check the link below:
- Wyoming Ranks Sixth in Federal Dependence
- Wyoming May Gain Most From Federal Renewable Energy Tax Credits
“This is another powerful rebuke of the Trump administration’s climate denial and pro-fossil fuel’ energy dominance’ agenda,” Jeremy Nichols, an attorney with WildEarth Guardians, said in an email.
Former Vice President and soon-to-be President Joseph Biden have promised to halt new oil and gas leasing on federal lands. Biden served under President Obama.
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