New oil and gas leasing on public lands in California will be suspended, advancing efforts by public interest groups to protect community health and the climate from fossil fuels

A coalition of environmental and tribal groups sued today to block the Trump Administration’s repeal of a 2015 rule designed to protect water, wildlife, and public health from the harmful effects of hydraulic fracturing on federal and tribal lands.

Trump’s Bureau of Land Management rescinded measures that protect water, public health and wildlife

In these cases, we are asked to decide whether the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) acted beyond its statutory authority when it promulgated a 1 regulation—43 C.F.R. § 3162.3-3 (2015)1—governing hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on lands owned or held in trust by the United States. The district court invalidated this regulation (hereinafter, the Fracking Regulation) as exceeding the BLM’s statutory authority. While these appeals were pending, a new President of the United States was elected. After that change in Administration, and at the President’s direction, the BLM began the process of rescinding the Fracking Regulation. Given these changed and changing circumstances, we conclude these appeals are prudentially unripe. As a result, we dismiss these appeals and remand with directions to vacate the district court’s opinion and dismiss the action
without prejudice.
 

District Court ruling is reversed, allowing protections to take effect

Public safety rule cited as too costly for industry

Secretary of Interior directs the Department of Justice to file a motion in the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals announcing that BLM intends to start a new rulemaking process to rescind the rule

Wyoming v. Zinke (10th Cir. Nos. 16-8068, 16-8069). On March 9, 2017, this Court ordered BLM to confirm whether its position in these appeals has changed due to the recent change of Administration. For the reasons stated below, BLM respectfully requests this Court to continue the oral argument and hold these appeals in abeyance pending a new rulemaking by BLM.

A coalition of six conservation groups are defending the Bureau of Land Management’s new hydraulic fracturing rules against legal challenges by the oil and gas industry and the States of Wyoming, North Dakota and Colorado. The conservation groups, represented by Earthjustice, filed motions to intervene in two lawsuits pending in the U.S. District Court for…

Memorandum in Support of Bureau of Land Management's New Fracking Rules – Filed June 2, 2015

Memorandum in Support of BLM Fracking Rules II – Filed June 2, 2015

Groups oppose oil and gas industry and state challenges to new, stronger rules

Comprehensive rules on hydraulic fracturing and drilling include stronger safeguards than in 2013 while failing to ensure sensitive and valuable areas are kept off limits to drilling

Reglas globales para fracking y perforación incluyen protecciones más estrictas que en 2013 pero no garantizan resguardos contra la perforación en áreas vulnerables