United States Ninth Circuit

In a suit involving multiple challenges to an injunction limiting, but not entirely prohibiting, coal bed methane development while the Bureau of Land Management expands an environmental impact statement, the injunction is upheld where the district court did not abuse its discretion in issuing the partial injunction proposed by BLM because it provided an equitable resolution consistent with the purposes of NEPA.

Appellate Information

• Decided 09/11/2007
• Published 09/11/2007

Judges

• Before:  MARY M. SCHROEDER, Chief Circuit Judge, ARTHUR L. ALARCÓN and ANDREW J. KLEINFELD, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Jack R. Tuholske, Tuholske Law Office, PC, Missoula, MT, for appellants Northern Plains Resource Council., John B. Arum (argued) and Brian C. Gruber (briefed), Ziontz, Chestnut, Varnell, Berley & Slonim, Seattle, WA, and Joe A. Rodriguez (briefed), Law Offices of Joe A. Rodriguez, Lame Deer, MT, for appellants Northern Cheyenne Tribe and Native Action, Inc., Jason S. Ritchie (briefed), Holland & Hart LLP, Billings, MT, for amicus curiae Nance Petroleum Corporation., Jay Jerde (briefed), Deputy Attorney General, Wyoming Attorney General's Office, Cheyenne, WY, for amicus curiae State of Wyoming., Nancy L. Rohde (briefed), Big Horn County Attorney's Office, Hardin, MT, for amicus curiae Big Horn County, Montana.


• For Appellees:
  
• John T. Stahr, U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental & Natural Resources, Washington, DC, for the appellees., John C. Martin, Patton Boggs LLP, Washington, DC, for intervenors-appellees Pinnacle Gas Resources, Inc., Devon Energy Corporation, and Anadarko Petroleum Corporation., Jon Metropoulos, Gough, Shanahan, Johnson & Waterman, Helena, MT, for intervenor-appellee Fidelity Exploration & Production Company.