Serial Litigants at it again - SUing on BLM Sage Grouse Plans

[Ben Lamb]

http://krwg.org/post/western-energy-alliance-challenging-federal-sage-grouse-land-use-plans

If successful, WEA can be reasonably accused of setting up a listing decision due to a lack of strong plans to manage habitat.

Commentary: Western Energy Alliance, along with the North Dakota Petroleum Council, today filed a lawsuit challenging Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service land use plan amendments for the Greater Sage Grouse that impose top-down, centralized conservation plans, ignore sound science and cost jobs. The litigation, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota, covers four Records of Decision signed by Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last September involving land use plans in California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota and Utah.

 

[JoseCuervo]

http://krwg.org/post/western-energy-alliance-challenging-federal-sage-grouse-land-use-plans

If successful, WEA can be reasonably accused of setting up a listing decision due to a lack of strong plans to manage habitat.

Obviously hoping to find an activist judge that will legislate from the Bench.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Obviously hoping to find an activist judge that will legislate from the Bench.

Also, WEA is a non-profit, and if they win, would be eligible for EAJA payments.

 

[elkduds]

The Feds have many more resources to address legislative incursion by industry on public lands, than individual states do. Yet another reason industries and deeeeep pockets want Fed land in the hands of states. Easier to beat states in court, and do what they want on public lands. Which leads to the inevitable result: states would be forced to sell the lands to this driller, that miner, or some logger.

 

[RobG]

Also, WEA is a non-profit, and if they win, would be eligible for EAJA payments.

In 2014 the WEA CEO made $330k, or about 10% of revenue. Contrast this with the Center for Biological Diversity $200k CEO salary, or 2% of revenue. Not that I approve of CBD lawsuits, but some perspective on the profits being made....