The Biden administration’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has broad authority to postpone oil and gas lease sales to address environmental concerns, a federal judge ruled in tossing one of several lawsuits filed by industry groups and GOP-led states. U.S. District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl of the District of Wyoming last Friday (Sept. 2) ruled…
Montana
Articles from Montana

Haymaker Lands Oil and Natural Gas Mineral, Royalty Package Spanning Four States
An affiliate of Haymaker Minerals & Royalties III has closed a deal to acquire mineral and royalty interests in “thousands of wells” across 30 counties and parishes in Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota and Texas. “This acquisition fits perfectly within the Haymaker strategy of acquiring diversified mineral portfolios valued at greater than $100 million,” said Haymaker’s…

Wyoming Groups Aiming to Speed Up Resumption of Federal Oil, Natural Gas Leasing
Wyoming’s two main oil and gas trade groups are seeking to expedite the resumption of oil and gas leases on federal property by the Department of the Interior (DOI). In a merits brief filed Aug. 30 in Wyoming District Court, the Western Energy Alliance and the Petroleum Association of Wyoming (PAW) allege that DOI is…

Enerplus Skims Off Some Williston Oil, Gas Properties in $115M Sale
Calgary-based Enerplus Corp. is selling off a small bundle of oil and natural gas interests in Montana and North Dakota for $115 million, but the Williston Basin remains a priority, the CEO said. Stakes are being sold in Montana’s Sleeping Giant field and North Dakota’s Russian Creek area of the Williston, home to the Bakken…

BLM Decisions Under Pendley Facing Slew of Environmental Lawsuits
A federal judge has invalidated key land use plans in Montana that were approved under former Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Acting Director William Perry Pendley, a decision that could imperil land use decisions elsewhere and pave the way for a deluge of litigation from environmental groups. The ruling issued last Friday was the second…

Montana Governor Asks Court to Rescind Plans for Oil, Gas Development
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock has asked a district court to shelve three large-scale plans that would open most federal lands in the state to oil and gas development, arguing they were invalidated when a federal court ruled the Trump administration’s top public lands official was serving illegally. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris of the District…
Puget Sound Utility Accelerates Move to Phase Out Coal
Bellevue, WA-based Puget Sound Energy (PSE) bought itself a reduced-carbon fuel mix by selling its 185 MW interest in Colstrip coal-fired Unit 4 in Montana to the state’s largest private sector utility, NorthWestern Energy. The price was $1 in a unique deal.

East Montana Bakken Showing Signs of Awakening
Oil production from the Bakken Shale in eastern Montana, still relatively small compared to North Dakota’s record-setting output, has been steadily increasing, according to the North Dakota Pipeline Authority (NDPA).

Landowners, Enviros Challenge BLM Oil, Natural Gas Leases in Montana
Three landowners and two environmental groups on Tuesday challenged two recent U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lease sales of 287 parcels in Montana, alleging in federal court that the agency ignored the potential environmental impacts of prospective oil and natural gas drilling.
Three Western States, Saskatchewan Collaborate on Carbon Capture Research
Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming and the the Canadian province of Saskatchewan province signed an agreement Friday to combine their efforts in carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) research that is critical to their individual oil and natural gas producing jurisdictions.