Description: Lawsuit to compel the U.S. Department of the Interior to respond to petition requesting rulemaking to reduce the rate of oil and gas production on federal lands to near zero by 2035.
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Center for Biological Diversity v. Haaland
Case Documents:
Filing Date Type File Action Taken Summary 06/28/2023 Notice Download Plaintiffs filed notice of dismissal. After Denial of Petition Seeking Rulemaking to Reduce Oil and Gas Production on Public Lands, Conservation Groups Withdrew Lawsuit and Said Evaluation Underway of Legal Adequacy of Denial. On June 28, 2023, Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), WildEarth Guardians, and Friends of the Earth withdrew their lawsuit seeking to compel the U.S. Department of the Interior to respond to a January 2022 petition requesting a rulemaking to reduce the rate of oil and gas production on federal public lands to near zero by 2035. The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Mineral Management notified CBD on June 27 that she had decided not to initiate the rulemaking because the Department “has a robust rulemaking agenda already underway to address the climate crisis and implement reforms to our conventional energy programs, and has insufficient resources to undertake the proposed rulemaking at this time.” In a press release, the plaintiff groups said they were “now evaluating the legal adequacy of the substance of the response” to their petition. 06/27/2023 Letter Download Letter sent by U.S. Department of the Interior to Center for Biological Diversity. 04/25/2023 Complaint Download Complaint filed.