"The Trump administration violated the law when it tried to delay a fossil fuel regulation that had already taken effect, a federal court ruled yesterday.

In a decision with major implications for other regulatory rollbacks, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California found that the Interior Department failed to go through proper procedure when it postponed an Obama-era rule aimed at reforming royalty calculations for oil, gas and coal produced on federal and tribal lands.

The administration delayed the Office of Natural Resources Revenue measure in February — a month after it took effect — relying on an Administrative Procedure Act provision that allows agencies to postpone the "effective date" of rules that are facing legal challenges. Earlier this month, the agency went a step further and moved to formally rescind the regulation."

Ellen M. Gilmer reports for Greenwire August 31, 2017. [2]