Powder River Basin Resource Council v. United States Bureau of Land Management

MEMORANDUM DECISION

BARBARA J. ROTHSTEIN, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

I. Introduction

Before the Court is a challenge by Powder River Basin Resource Council and two other conservation groups (“the Plaintiffs”) to decisions by the United States Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) related to the Fortification Creek Planning Area (“FCPA” or “Planning Area”) in the greater Powder River Basin in northeastern Wyoming. 1 The Plaintiffs claim that BLM, caving in to the demands of the coal bed natural gas (“CBNG”) industry, abandoned efforts to protect an elk herd and other valuable resources, and…