A federal judge has directed the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to conduct a more thorough environmental impact analysis before auctioning nearly 120,000 acres of public land in Wyoming to the oil and gas industry, siding with conservation groups.
U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Christopher Cooper prohibited the agency from approving drilling applications for 180 days, according to the judge’s order. A separate order on the matter will follow, he said, but no date was set.
