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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

BLM Must Reevaluate Wilderness In Oregon

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - Oregon's Bureau of Land Management did not comply with federal law when it developed a land-use plan covering about 4.5 million acres in Oregon, the 9th Circuit ruled.

The Oregon Natural Desert Association and two other environmental groups said the agency failed to consider the plan's impact on the wilderness, or properly analyze grazing and off-road vehicle use.

It urged the government to reevaluate its 1998 assessment of southeastern Oregon, focusing on potential wilderness areas that were overlooked or deemed ineligible in the first inventory.

Judge Berzon agreed that the bureau did not comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and had "explicitly disclaimed any general obligation to analyze the impacts of its plan on wilderness values."

The court reversed summary judgment for the government.

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