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The New York Times posted an article about an Idaho federal judge ruling on September 28th against the Bureau of Land Management and in favor of Western Watershed Projects in a lawsuit challenging 16 separate BLM Resource Management Plans (RMPs), and their associated Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) in six different states: Idaho, Montana, Utah, California, Wyoming and Nevada.

The ruling finds the federal agency "completely disregarding its own policies on the drafting of RMPs" and failed to analyze the cumulative impacts of oil and gas development on sage grouse in the Upper Green River Basin in Wyoming. The ruling also says the agency failed to include enough data or alternatives for grazing in an Idaho RMP plan. "…the BLM disregarded both the Special Status Species Policy and the National Strategy in the Craters and Pinedale RMPs," the ruling states

It is not clear how this ruling will impact the BLM’s future management of those areas.

Click here to read the article: Judge's Sage Grouse Ruling Could Stall BLM Plans in Wyo., Idaho

Click here for the ruling: Memorandum Decision and Order Case No. 4:08-CV-516-BLW - Western Watersheds Project v. U.S. Department of the Interior (37 pages, 104K PDF)