Context is Crucial in Examining BLM’s Proposed Rule for Fracking On Federal Land
Asset sales involving the disposition of recreation-focused businesses on federal lands, including ski areas and guiding companies, require the buyer to obtain a new Special Use Permit (SUP) from the U.S. Forest Service...more
The U. S. House Committee on Natural Resources hearing held on Thursday, June 15, 2023, was singularly focused on H.R. 3397, sponsored by Rep. John R. Curtis (R-UT-3), which requires the Director of the Bureau of Land...more
BLM Notices Nearly 90,000 Acres for Solar Leasing in CO, NM, and NV - On December 21, the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) published a Notice in the Federal Register calling for expressions of interest and nominations for...more
Late last month, the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) issued Instruction Memorandum 2021-046 to reinstate both BLM Manual Section (MS-1794) and BLM Handbook (H-1794-1), which restore previously rescinded BLM policies on...more
2021 Land Use, Environmental & Natural Resources Update - Allen Matkins – March 25 - With the end of the first quarter of 2021 approaching, we thought it timely to issue an update on selected recent developments and...more
One thing is certain about 2021 – environmental and natural resources-related litigation against the federal government will continue apace and it will impact a range of private projects that require federal authorization of...more
California targets diesel trucks, ships for biggest pollution reductions in over a decade - Bullet Los Angeles Times – August 27 - The California Air Resources Board this Thursday adopted its biggest pollution-cutting...more
Opportunity for business in Arizona is booming. In a May 2019 ranking in Chief Executive Magazine, Arizona jumped to seventh best state to do business. Arizona is well known for its mineral deposits, but timber was once one...more
Most businesses that work in a natural resource industry in Arizona are familiar with the requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (“NHPA”), and Arizona’s State Historic Preservation Act (“SHPA”). There...more
On April 29, 2019, the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a Draft Supplement Environmental Impact Statement (Draft SEIS) analyzing potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing for future oil &...more
World War II left America exhausted after tremendous sacrifices were made by the American people. As the sun set on this storied chapter in American history, American society was ready for leisure which stirred a renewed...more
On 24 July, 2018, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) instructed its personnel that the agency lacks authority to require monetary payments and other forms of compensatory mitigation as a condition of obtaining authorization...more
The Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) has announced a 90-day comment period on proposed amendments to six Resource Management Plans (“RMPs”) and associated draft Environmental Impact Statements (“DEISs”) designed to protect...more
San Francisco Ordinance Invalidated in Victory for Landlords - In Coyne v. City and County of San Francisco, No. A145044 (Cal. Ct. App. Mar. 21, 2017), the California Court of Appeal invalidated a San Francisco...more
President Donald Trump recently signed Executive Order 13783, an omnibus executive order aimed at reducing burdens on further development of domestic energy resources, with “particular attention” to oil, natural gas, coal and...more
This afternoon, the Administration issued two policies intended to encourage private investment in natural resource conservation and to facilitate application of the mitigation hierarchy—avoiding, minimizing and compensating...more
On October 2, 2015, the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (“CDFW”) entered into a 12-page “agree[ment] to work with each other to conserve biological and natural resources on...more
The greater sage-grouse—a ground-dwelling, chicken-like bird—has been the focus of controversy pitting conservation against energy development and ranching interests across the inter-mountain west. The greater sage-grouse’s...more
For purposes of “discovery” of a valuable mineral deposit, the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) has recently held that the “prudent man” test does not require that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) consider the current...more