Ninth Circuit Upholds Oil & Gas Leasing Decision

VICTORY! – On January 17, 2025, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 2020 decision that struck down the basis for the previous Trump administration’s oil and gas leasing on more than a million acres of public lands in key habitat for the Greater Sage-grouse in the West. The decision came in a lawsuit filed by Earthjustice on behalf of the Montana Wildlife Federation, the Wilderness Society, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, and Montana Audubon.

Says Larry Berrin, Montana Audubon Executive Director: “We have always had a great interest in the conservation of the Greater Sage-grouse and sagebrush habitat, which is one of the most imperiled ecosystem types in the West. Our hope is that this decision will have significant and lasting conservation benefits for the Greater Sage-grouse and a host of other sagebrush-dependent species in the West.”

Read more on the Earthjustice website: Ninth Circuit Upholds Decision That Struck Down Trump Administration Sage-Grouse Leasing