"New Lawsuit Denounces Climate Impact of Montana Mining Leases", 21 May 2018

A group of environmental organizations and land owners are taking the federal government to court over what they say is a failure to adequately consider the impact on climate change of two recent sales of oil and gas leases in Montana.  The case...targets two leases that cover about 145,000 acres of public land...The complaint contends that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) underestimated the number of wells that would be drilled and amount of greenhouse gas emissions that could be created.  The BLM also didn’t fully analyze the impact of oil and gas exploration and production on underground aquifers and water quality, the lawsuit said...A BLM spokeswoman declined to comment...The case reflects a larger effort by conservation groups to fight the Trump administration’s plan to increase mining on public lands...In the Montana lawsuit, the plaintiffs are asking the court to set aside the lease sales and require the BLM to re-do its environmental assessments...