ELR Citation: 50 ELR 20261
No(s). 2:19-cv-00929-DBB-CMR (D. Utah Dec 10, 2020) (Barlow, J.)

A district court remanded BLM's authorization and issuance of 59 leases of public land in the Uinta Basin for oil and gas exploration. Conservation groups challenged BLM's decision on several NEPA grounds and sought to have it vacated. The court found that the agency took an appropriately hard look at the cumulative greenhouse gas and climate change impacts of its decision, and that the EA's discussion of the array of potential impacts was reasonably complete and adequately informed BLM's decision that the leases would not pose significant public health and safety impacts. It did, however, find that the agency violated NEPA by failing to consider reasonable alternatives to leasing all 59 parcels. It therefore remanded to BLM to evaluate deferral or elimination of parcels from leasing consideration, based on the Bureau's assessment of the impacts of oil and gas leasing and anticipated development on the Dinosaur National Monument and lands with wilderness characteristics or areas of critical environmental concern.