Federal Judge Forces Interior to Decide on Drilling Leases

Nicolas Loris / July 07, 2011

Typically when someone buys something, that person receives some good or service in return. That’s not always the case when it comes to the federal government.

The Department of Interior failed to issue leases after several oil and gas companies purchased them from the Bureau of Land Management. Consequently, the six companies that won and bought the leases and Western Energy Alliance, which represents more than 400 independent natural gas and oil producers, sued the government. They earned a partial victory last week when a federal judge in Wyoming ordered Interior to decide on 47 leases in Utah and Wyoming but not necessarily issue them. (more…)