Delayed North Dakota Oil Drilling Permits Draws Federal Lawsuit

The Interior Department is failing to timely act on 50 applications for permits to drill in North Dakota, an oil and gas company says in its lawsuit filed Tuesday in a federal court in the state.

The agency’s delay violates the Mineral Leasing Act, which establishes mandatory deadlines when reviewing drilling applications, according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota.

Continental Resources Inc. says the Bureau of Land Management would have approved its permit applications before Inauguration Day, but there was a delay caused by “repeated software errors.”

The permits would have ...