BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - US officials are delaying oil and gas lease sales on almost 90 square miles in Montana and North Dakota in response to a court ruling that faulted the Trump administration’s attempts to limit public comment on the sales.
The move comes after a federal judge in September sided with environmentalists who said drilling on the leases could hurt greater sage grouse, a struggling bird species.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management said Tuesday the delay applies to 76 parcels intended to be sold in December. Spokesman Al Nash says the bureau plans to open public review periods for the parcels and offer them for sale in March.
The BLM last week removed 230 square miles (600 square kilometers) of land from a planned lease sale in Colorado at the request of the state’s governor.
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