Federal judge temporarily halts BLM fracking rule

A judge in Wyoming’s federal district court has issued a temporary stay against implementation of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's hydraulic fracturing rule that would have gone into effect June 24. Following a Tuesday hearing on a motion for a preliminary injunction, Judge Scott Skavdahl ruled that the final rule’s effective date would be delayed at least until after the U.S. Department of Justice filed an administrative record in the lawsuit. After the administrative record is filed on July 22 under the current schedule, all parties in the lawsuit will have seven days to supplement their legal papers. The court is expected to issue a final decision on the preliminary injunction motion in August. Earlier this month, North Dakota filed a request in Wyoming’s federal district court for a preliminary injunction against BLM to stop its hydraulic fracturing rule from going into effect. Wyoming, Colorado and Utah also filed requests to block the rule, along with the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), the Western Energy Alliance (WEA) and the Ute tribe in Utah...more