Oil and gas leasing in proposed wilderness areas: the Wyoming District Court's interpretation of Section 603 of the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 - Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Association v. Andrus, 500 F. Supp. 1338 (D. Wyo. 1980), appeal docketed, No. 81-1040 (10th Cir. Jan. 5, 1981)
Plaintiff Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Association, a non-profit trade association, brought suit against the Secretary of the Interior, challenging land management policies of the Department of the Interior which plaintiff contended have effectively prohibited oil and gas exploration in areas proposed as wilderness under the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA). The principal issue at trial was Interior's interpretation of the wilderness study provisions contained in Section 603 of the Act, which directed that activities on oil and gas leases in proposed wilderness areas be managed so as to prevent impairment of wilderness values. The United States Court for the District of Wyoming, Kerr, J., held that strict application of the non-impairment standard of Section 603, FLPMA, by the Department of the Interior virtually halted oil and gas exploration in proposed wilderness areas, and is therefore statutorily erroneous, clearly contrary to Congressional intent, and counter-productive to public interest. The Trial Court's decision is being appealed to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals under the title Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Association v. Watt. 91 references.
- OSTI ID:
- 6755282
- Journal Information:
- Land Water Law Rev.; (United States), Journal Name: Land Water Law Rev.; (United States) Vol. 17:2; ISSN LWLRD
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Mineral exploration and development in Bureau of Land Management Wilderness Study Areas
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