Oil and Gas Development on Federal Land

Case Law

The following resources represent a collection of court filings and judicial opinions regarding development of oil and gas on public lands. Furthermore, the decisions may be viewed via an online legal database using the mentioned docket number.

This list of cases is not exhaustive.

Alaska

The following cases are related cases under Local Rule 40.2.

Natural Resources Defense Council et al. v. Zinke et al. [Case closed]
USDC Alaska, No. 3:18-cv-31

• Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief (Feb. 2, 2018)
• Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment (Jun. 4, 2018)
• Defendants’ Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment (Jul. 24, 2018)
• Order denying Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment; granting Defendants’ Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment (Dec. 6, 2018)
• Notice of Appeal as to Order on Motion for Summary Judgment (Jan. 3, 2019)

(Ninth Circuit, No. 19-35006)

• Memorandum (affirmed the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Defendants) (Jul. 9, 2020)
• Appellants’ Petition for Rehearing en Banc (Aug. 24, 2020)
• Order denying Petition for Rehearing en Banc (Sep. 16, 2020)

Northern Alaska Environmental Center et al. v. U.S. Department of the Interior et al. [Case closed]
USDC Alaska, No. 3:18-cv-30

• Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief (February 2, 2018)
• Amended Complaint (May 21, 2018)
• Memorandum in Support of Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment (June 4, 2018)
• Defendants’ Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment (July 24, 2018)
• Order denying Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment; granting Defendants’ Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment (December 6, 2018)
• Notice of Appeal (January 3, 2019)

(Ninth Circuit, No. 19-35008)

• Opinion (affirmed the district court’s summary judgment in favor of defendants) (July 9, 2020)
• Appellants’ Petition for Rehearing en Banc (August 21, 2020)
• Order and amended opinion denying appellants’ petition for rehearing en banc (December 22, 2020) 

Northern Alaska Environmental Center et al. v. U.S. Department of the Interior et al. [Case closed]
USDC Alaska, No. 3:19-cv-55

• Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief (March 1, 2019)
• Plaintiffs’ Joint Motion to Stay Proceedings (April 1, 2019)
• Order granting Motion to Stay (April 2, 2019)
• Joint stipulation of dismissal (January 29, 2021)
• Order dismissing the case with prejudice (February 3, 2021) 

Northern Alaska Environmental Center et al. v. U.S. Department of the Interior et al. [Case closed]
USDC Alaska, No. 3:20-cv-114

• Complaint (May 15, 2020)
• Plaintiffs’ Joint Motion to Stay (May 28, 2020)
• Order granting Motion to Stay (May 29, 2020)
• Joint stipulation of dismissal (January 29, 2021) 
• Order dismissing the case with prejudice (February 8, 2021)

Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic et al. v. Bureau of Land Management, et al. [Case open]
USDC Alaska, No. 3:23-cv-58

• Complaint (March 14, 2023)
• Motion for preliminary injunction (March 16, 2023)
• Order denying plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary injunction (April 3, 2023)
• Amended complaint (June 20, 2023)
• Judgment (plaintiffs’ claims are dismissed with prejudice) (November 9, 2023)
• Notice of appeal (November 14, 2023)
• Motion for preliminary injunction pending appeal (November 15, 2023)
• Order denying motion for preliminary injunction pending appeal (December 1, 2023)

Ninth Circuit, No. 23-3627

• Plaintiffs-appellants’ opening brief (December 30, 2023)

Arizona

Center for Biological Diversity et al. v. Raymond Suazo et al. [Case closed]
USDC Arizona, No. 3:19-cv-8204

• Complaint (July 15, 2019)
• Amended Complaint (October 1, 2019)
• Stipulation of dismissal without prejudice (February 18, 2020)
• Order dismissing the case without prejudice (February 19, 2020)

Idaho

Western Watersheds Project et al. v. Zinke et al. [Case open]
USDC Idaho, No. 1:18-cv-187

Due to the procedural complexity and length of this case, we recommend consulting the file through an online legal database using the mentioned docket number. 

• Complaint (April 30, 2018)
• Amended Complaint (October 17, 2018)
• Second Amended Complaint (August 30, 2019)

Montana 

Wildearth Guardians et al. v. U.S. Bureau of Land Management [Case closed]
(USDC Montana, No. 4:18-cv-73)

• Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief (May 15, 2018)
• Memorandum in Support of Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment (February 22, 2019)
• Defendants’ Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment (April 8, 2019)
• Order vacating the findings of no significant impact and leases at issue, and remanding the matter to BLM for further analysis (May 1, 2020)
• Clerk’s judgment (June 23, 2020)

Nevada

Center for Biological Diversity et al. v. U.S. Bureau of Land Management et al. [Case closed]
USDC Nevada, No. 3:17-cv-553

• Complaint (September 11, 2017)
• First Amended Complaint (November 20, 2017)
• Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment (June 22, 2018)
• Defendants’ Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment (August 22, 2018)
• Order dismissing case (Plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment is denied; Defendants’ cross-motion for summary judgment is granted) (January 15, 2019)
• Judgment entered in favor of Defendants (August 15, 2019)

 New Mexico

Western Energy Alliance, et al. v. Jewell, et al. [Case closed]
USDC New Mexico, No. 1:16-cv-912

• Complaint (August 11, 2016)
• Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction Counts II and III (November 9, 2016)
• Memorandum Opinion and Order denying Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Counts II and III (January 13, 2017)
• Order striking Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction (January 13, 2017)
• Plaintiffs’ Stipulation of Partial Dismissal (Counts II and III) (February 1, 2018)
• Plaintiffs’ Stipulation of Dismissal (July 30, 2018)

San Juan Citizens Alliance, et al. v. U.S. Bureau of Land Management, et al. [Case open]
USDC New Mexico, No. 1:16-cv-376

• Complaint (May 3, 2016)
• Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment (November 18, 2016)
• Memorandum Opinion & Order setting aside the finding of no significant impact and remanding the matter to BLM for further analysis (June 14, 2018)
• Judgment in favor of Plaintiffs (June 14, 2018)
• Notice of Appeal as to Judgment and Memorandum Opinion & Order (August 13, 2018)
• Defendants’ motion to stay (January 16, 2019)
• Order granting defendants’ motion to stay (January 17, 2019)
• Status report (April 19, 2019) 

Tenth Circuit, No. 18-2119

• Appellants’ Motion for Voluntary Dismissal of Appeal (October 26, 2018)
• Procedural termination without judicial action (October 26, 2018)

North Dakota

State of North Dakota v. U.S. Department of the Interior, et al. [Case closed]
USDC North Dakota, No. 1:21-cv-148

• Complaint (July 7, 2021)
• Motion for preliminary injunction (January 9, 2023)
• Order granting, in part, and denying, in part, plaintiff’s motion for preliminary injunction (March 27, 2023)
• Joint status report in response to order (April 10, 2023)
• Order to revisit and resubmit status report (April 25, 2023)
• Notice of interlocutory appeal (June 26, 2023)

Eighth Circuit, No. 23-2518

• Judgment (granting motions to dismiss cases) (August 22, 2023)

Utah

Friends of Cedar Mesa v. U.S. Department of the Interior et al. [Case closed]
USDC Utah, No. 4:19-cv-13

• Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief (February 6, 2019)
• Order granting Motion to Consolidate Related Case: Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance v. Dernhardt et al. to this case (May 6, 2019)
• First Amended Complaint (May 17, 2019)
• Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction (August 8, 2019)
• Memorandum Decision and Order granting Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction (March 2, 2020)
• Judgment dismissing the case without prejudice (March 2, 2020)

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance v. Dernhardt et al. [Case closed]
USDC Utah, No. 2:19-cv-266

This case has been consolidated with Friends of Cedar Mesa v. U.S. Department of the Interior, No. 4:19-cv-13. 

• Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief (April 19, 2019)

Wyoming

Independent Petroleum Association of America et al. v. Jewell et al. [Case closed]
USDC Wyoming, No. 2:15-cv-41

• Petition for Review (March 20, 2015)
• Memorandum in Support of Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction (May 15, 2015) 
• Joint Motion to Consolidate Cases for Trial (June 3, 2015)
• Order granting Joint Motion to Consolidate this case with State of Wyoming v. U.S. Department of the Interior et al., No. 2:15-cv-00043 (June 4, 2015)

State of Wyoming v. U.S. Department of the Interior et al. [Case closed]
USDC Wyoming, No. 2:15-cv-43

• Petition for Review filed by State of Wyoming (March 26, 2015)
• Petition for Review filed by State of North Dakota (April 22, 2015)
• First Amended Petition for Review filed by State of Colorado, State of Wyoming (April 22, 2015)
• Memorandum in Support of Wyoming and Colorado’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction (May 29, 2015)
• Memorandum in Support of North Dakota’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction (June 8, 2015)
• Order granting Motions for Preliminary Injunction filed by State of Colorado, North Dakota and Wyoming (September 30, 2015)
• Notice of Appeal as to Order granting Motions for Preliminary Injunction (November 27, 2015)
• Judgment in favor of Petitioners (June 22, 2016) (The Court holds the Fracking Rule is unlawful, and it is ordered that the BLM’s final rule related to hydraulic fracturing on federal and Indian lands)
• Notice of Appeal as to Judgment (June 24, 2016)
• Order dismissing the case without prejudice (November 6, 2018)

Tenth Circuit, No. 15-8126

• Order (remanding with instructions to vacate the September 30, 2015 Order granting the preliminary injunctions) (July 13, 2016)

Tenth Circuit, No. 16-8068, 16-8069

• Judgment dismissing appeals, vacating the district court’s judgment invalidating the Fracking regulation, and remanding with instructions to dismiss the underlying action without prejudice (September 21, 2017)