"A landmark decision delivered by the Trump administration late last month gives five oil and gas companies the green light to forge ahead in drilling 5,000 wells over the next decade in northeastern Wyoming.

Though cheered by state officials and industry groups, leaders of several tribal nations with enduring ties to the land remain concerned the development will compromise air and water quality, violate existing treaty rights and destroy cultural resources. The Oglala Sioux Tribe maintains that U.S. regulators “failed their duty” to uphold federal law and properly consult with tribes, calling the environmental reviews associated with the project “deficient,” according to recent protests.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management issued a final record of decision for the Converse County oil and gas project on Dec. 23. The order followed the BLM’s completion of a roughly seven-year environmental analysis and allows for year-round drilling on federal leases in Converse County."

Camille Erickson reports for the Casper Star-Tribune January 5, 2021. [2]