ELR Citation: 45 ELR 20144
No(s). 13-0993 (D.D.C. Jul 27, 2015) (Leon, J.)

A district court held that DOI has unreasonably delayed agency action in the agency's review of an oil and gas drilling permit on BLM lands in Montana held sacred to Native Americans. Under the APA, agencies must decide issues presented to them within a reasonable time. Here, BLM initially approved the application to drill in 1985, but the lease has since been suspended six times to allow for further review. The government's delay, totaling 29 years, is clearly unreasonable within the meaning of the APA. The court, therefore, ordered DOI to submit an accelerated schedule for determining whether the suspension should be lifted.