This week, Rocky Mountain Wild, the Center for Biological Justice, and other groups filed suit against the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) asking the court to cancel three recent oil and gas lease sales in Utah and Colorado. The plaintiff environmental groups argued that the BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to conduct a proper environmental analysis of the lease sales in an area with unhealthy ozone levels. The BLM conducted an environmental assessment for the lease sale, which acknowledged that the proposed lease sale would lead to an increase in emissions of pollutants that cause ozone formation. Ultimately, the BLM issued a finding of no significant impact and proceeded with the lease sale. The plaintiffs argued that the BLM “failed to meaningfully consider how developing those leases will exacerbate Uinta Basin’s declining air quality, adversely impacting the climate, public health and the environment.”

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