ELR Citation: 56 ELR 20005
No(s). 24-5786 (9th Cir. Jan 14, 2026)

The Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for BLM in a challenge to the Bureau's approval of a contract with a livestock company for a new off-range corral on private land in Winnemucca, Nevada, to hold and feed up to 4,000 wild horses and burros. An animal rights group argued the decision violated the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act (Wild Horses Act) and NEPA. A district court found no violation of either statute and granted summary judgment for BLM. The appellate court found the group did not show that BLM abused its discretion by relying on its Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program Standards and additional contract requirements to ensure humane treatment under the Wild Horses Act, and that the Bureau took the requisite "hard look" at environmental consequences and conducted a reasonable analysis of project alternatives as required by NEPA. It affirmed summary judgment for BLM.