Land Agency’s Suspension of Utah Oil and Gas Leases Avoids Suit

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management can suspend oil and gas leases sold in Utah in 2018 without additional environmental review, a federal court in the state ruled in a loss for conservation groups.

The lease suspensions aren’t major federal actions that require compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, according to the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah. As a result, the groups’ claim will be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction, the court said Monday.

The agency suspended the Utah oil and gas leases after the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in 2019 ...