Central ND News

On Friday evening, a United States District Court rejected a lawsuit issued by Dakota Resource Council and other non-government organizations (NGOs) which would have forced a nationwide environmental impact statement (EIS) for each quarterly oil and gas lease sale. North Dakota intervened to defend quarterly lease sales of federal minerals in the state.

The court found the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) conducted an extensive environmental analysis and claimed the six challenged lease sales would not cause “unnecessary and undue degradation” under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), which governs the way public lands administered by the BLM are managed.

Senator Cramer expressed his views on the court's decision, stating, "Overzealous environmental activists are hellbent on deploying every delay tactic in the book to oppose the mandated lease sales. While the judge seemed sympathetic, even he couldn’t find a way forward for this frivolous lawsuit." He also highlighted the positive impact of the decision, saying, "This is a step in the right direction for energy consumers, schools, parks, and other infrastructure projects funded by regular lease sales."

In March of 2023, U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor ordered the BLM to resume quarterly oil and gas lease sales in North Dakota. Senator Cramer has responded to other BLM actions to inhibit federal oil and gas production, including an onshore oil leasing rule which would increase costs for oil and gas companies and duplicative methane regulations which are expected to be finalized soon.