BLM updates analysis addressing Converse County oil and gas litigation
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CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Today the Bureau of Land Management found no new significant impacts to groundwater resources following preparation of additional, court-ordered groundwater drawdown modeling for the Converse County Oil and Gas Project. The additional environmental analysis addresses concerns raised by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on this project that could generate billions of dollars for the American public and will strengthen domestic energy production and independence.
The project was approved in December 2020 and authorized up to 5,000 oil and gas wells and associated infrastructure on approximately 1.5 million acres of mostly private surface and federal subsurface split estate lands. The project is expected to generate roughly 8,000 jobs and approximately $18 to $28 billion in federal revenues.
On September 13, 2024, the district court issued an order and opinion in Powder River Basin Resource Council v. Department of the Interior, 1:22-cv-02696-TSC (D.D.C.), stating that the BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act by using an unsupported specific storage value in its groundwater drawdown modeling. The court also prevented further approvals of applications for permit to drill based on the environmental impact statement for the project.
Today’s decision does not lift the court’s hold on the issuance of applications for permit to drill approvals in the project area that are based on the environmental impact statement for the project. The agency will work with the Department of Justice and District Court to resume processing of applications for permit to drill based on the environmental impact statement in the project area as soon as possible.
Additional information is available at the BLM National NEPA Register. For more information, please contact BLM Project Manager Chad Mickschl at [email protected] or (307) 775-6329.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.