Judge Says Agency Acted Within Its Authority In Denying Drilling Rights

(October 31, 2023, 12:31 PM EDT) -- CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A federal judge in Wyoming on Oct. 30 ruled that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) acted within its scope of authority when it denied an oil company’s attempt to drill a traverse well under a split estate because the BLM is permitted to regulate subsurface activity on federal land to protect federal minerals....