Wyoming Federal Judge Enjoins New BLM Rules on Hydraulic Fracturing

Wyoming United States District Judge Scott W. Skavdahl granted a preliminary injunction that bars the enforcement of the new U.S. Bureau of Land Management's new rules governing hydraulic fracturing on federal and tribal lands.  Judge Skavdahl held that the petitioners--i.e. the states of Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, and Utah, along with the Ute Indian Tribe and two industry groups--are likely to succeed on the merits of their case because Congress has not given the BLM authority to regulated hydraulic fracturing.  In addition, the judge found that the final rule is arbitrary and capricious, the BLM did not appropriately consult with native tribes, and states would suffer irreparable harm but for the injunction.