Lawsuit cites climate as reason to halt energy leases

A sweeping new lawsuit challenging hundreds of federal oil and gas leases in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming seeks to build on the success environmental groups have had getting the Obama Administration to account for the impacts of climate change when it comes to coal mining. WildEarth Guardians and Physicians for Social Responsibility last week sued the federal government to challenge nearly 400 leases covering almost 380,000 acres in the three states, citing a failure to disclose the direct, indirect and cumulative climate-change impacts of those leasing decisions. Jeremy Nichols of WildEarth Guardians this week cited the progress groups like his have made when it comes to getting the government to acknowledge climate-change impacts related to coal production and consumption. “We feel like it’s high time to spur the same kind of progress when it comes to oil and gas,” he said. “We’re bringing a big case because this is a big issue.” WildEarth successfully sued to challenge expansions of the Colowyo and Trapper coal mines near Craig, and the expansion of the West Elk Mine in the North Fork Valley into a roadless area as well as a Colorado roadless rule exemption that would allow for it. Court rulings in those cases resulted in the government doing new environmental reviews that include projections of climate-change impacts. Nichols also noted that the federal government has imposed a moratorium on new coal leases nationally as it reviews its coal program, including the climate-change considerations of mining and coal combustion. Yet the government seems unwilling to similarly acknowledge the climate-change impacts of oil and gas development, he said. “That’s a problem. It’s what we call a major blind spot,” he said...more

If it worked on coal, then why not oil & gas?  If it works on oil & gas and coal, then why not on livestock grazing/