"Judge Axes Trump-Era Lease Sales To Protect Sage Grouse"

"A federal judge last week blocked five more Trump-era oil and gas lease sales for failing to comply with statutory protections for the greater sage grouse.

Chief Judge Brian Morris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana on Friday axed lease sales in Nevada and Wyoming from 2017 and 2018 in the second phase of litigation over the government’s failure to prioritize leasing outside of the bird’s habitat.

Morris found that the leases failed to comply with Obama-era sage grouse protections aimed at keeping oil and gas development from harming the declining species."

Niina H. Farah reports for E&E News March 14, 2022.