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2011-08-14 Home Front: Politix

Federal judge throws out Obama drilling rules

CHEYENNE, Wyo. A judge on Friday threw out Obama administration rules that sought to slow down expedited environmental review of oil and gas drilling on federal land.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Freudenthal ruled in favor of a petroleum industry group, the Western Energy Alliance, in its lawsuit against the federal government, including Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. The ruling reinstates Bush-era expedited oil and gas drilling under provisions called categorical exclusions on federal lands nationwide, Freudenthal said.

The government argued that oil and gas companies had no case because they didn't show how the new rules, implemented by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service last year, had created delays and added to the cost of drilling.

Freudenthal rejected that argument. "Western Energy has demonstrated through its members recognizable injury," she said. "Those injuries are supported by the administrative record."

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 allows the BLM and Forest Service to invoke categorical exclusions and skip new environmental review for drilling permits under certain circumstances. The circumstances include instances where companies plan to disturb relatively little ground and environmental review already has been done for that area. A categorical exclusion also can be invoked when additional drilling is planned at a well pad where drilling has occurred within the previous five years.

Categorical exclusions were widely used throughout the West especially in the gas boom states of Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico until last year.

When Champ and his minions decided that all this wealth and prosperity would drive the country into ruin, and thus shut it all down.

Posted by Steve White 2011-08-14 00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 Possibly good news, but probably signifying nothing. Aren't Zero and his ~~goons~~ regulators already ignoring at least one Federal judge's mandate to issue Gulf drilling permits?

Posted by PBMcL 2011-08-14 01:15|| 2011-08-14 01:15|| Front Page Top

#2 How refreshing. Checks and balances. Almost like that whole separation of powers dealy still sorta works.

Ah. Judge is a Wyoming native, nominated by Obama in 2009, has only been in the post for a year. Deciding on the basis of the evidence? Ballsy. That's why federal judicial appointments are for life. Although, it's a bad sign when we can say, the judicial branch is the one that's working.

Posted by RandomJD 2011-08-14 01:36|| 2011-08-14 01:36|| Front Page Top

#3 So we now have oil drilling ban - nope
Obamacare - struggling to stay alive
Elusive birth certificate- show cause Hawaii why you should NOT have to produce it
It would seem that Bambi's legal box score is looking more like the Mariner's than what martin Luther King, Jr, would be capable of producing.
This POS isn't even qualified to carry any of the good Doctor's books.

Posted by USN,Ret. 2011-08-14 04:38|| 2011-08-14 04:38|| Front Page Top

#4 Amazing to me that this was a Clinton appointee. It shows a sharp contrast between what this stupid a-hole is appointing now. Somewhere in the old John Kennedy universe of the dead corpse of the Democrat party, there are still some that have the balls to stand up for the Constitution. Do not balk at it. It shows Intestinal Fortitude.

Be proud that there is at least one Judge in this United States willing to risk it all for what is right and correct and damn the torpedos.
Even if all other decisions made by this Judge suck, this very one deems this Judge worthy of respect by default because it's account was solid and took on the most menacing and bullying administration in American history.

Bless all of you in the states that made this happen and bless this Judge that ensured the rule of law is more important than some pie in the sky assed up program.

Posted by newc 2011-08-14 05:09|| 2011-08-14 05:09|| Front Page Top

#5 My bad, you are right random. It IS an Obama appointee.
Something or someone told me it was a Clintonian though. Still, my statement stands minus the appointment.

Posted by newc 2011-08-14 05:25|| 2011-08-14 05:25|| Front Page Top

#6 And what would happen in OBumbles simply ignores the order?

It isn't like the God-King wannabe hasn't done so before.

Posted by CrazyFool in the Philippines 2011-08-14 10:11|| 2011-08-14 10:11|| Front Page Top

#7 example #4,297 of Obama's lawless behavior

Posted by Frank G on the road 2011-08-14 10:16|| 2011-08-14 10:16|| Front Page Top

#8 CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- A judge on Friday threw out Obama administration rules that sought to slow down expedited environmental review of oil and gas drilling on federal land.

Now if we could only get a Federal judge to .....THROW OUT OBAMA!

Posted by Besoeker 2011-08-14 11:57|| 2011-08-14 11:57|| Front Page Top

#9 Now if we could only get a Federal judge to .....THROW OUT OBAMA! A federal judge is allowed to preside over impeachment proceedings.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2011-08-14 11:59|| 2011-08-14 11:59|| Front Page Top

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