| On May 22, a U.S. District Court determined that the federal government broke the law when they sold specific oil and gas leases on public lands in Wyoming and Montana. This court decision came as a result of a lawsuit brought by Earthjustice on behalf of the National Audubon Society, Montana Audubon, and several other groups. While this court case nullifies 440 oil and gas leases that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sold on about 336,000 acres, the implications extend to other states. Now, the $125 million from lease sales must be returned to those who purchased them. Audubon argues that the federal government should be required to cover this cost, not states, as the judge noted that the error was made at the beginning of the lease sale process when the BLM initially offered the parcels. |
