(January 7, 2016, 1:21 PM EST) -- TULSA, Okla. — A federal judge in Oklahoma on Jan. 5 ruled that the government’s decision to grant leases and drilling permits to a hydraulic fracturing company to explore for oil on land that was part of the Osage Nation mineral estate was “arbitrary and capricious” and federal regulations were not followed (David P. Hayes v. Chaparral Energy LLC, et al., No. 14-495, N.D. Okla.; 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1161).

(Opinion available. Document #94-160112-007Z.)

Mineral Rights

In 2013, Chaparral Energy LLC (Chaparral) entered into an oil...