Utah Oil Lease Renewals Don’t Need Wildlife Study, Court Says

The Bureau of Land Management may renew oil and gas leases on public lands near Utah’s San Rafael Desert and Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness after a federal judge ruled the agency didn’t need to conduct another environmental assessment for a policy change that effectively cut additional analysis of drilling areas.

The agency has the discretion make the “procedural change” ending the master leasing plan, and the decision helps reduce duplicate and redundant National Environmental Policy Act analyses, the US District Court for the District of Utah ruled Thursday.

NEPA reviews are only required for “proposals for legislation and other major federal ...