“Interior can’t lease without first considering those legal requirements, so the question becomes how to balance these competing mandates — which lands should be offered for lease, and what requirements should apply to those leases?” said John Ruple, a professor specializing in land resources and the environment at the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. “Going slow to get it right makes sense and will likely result in better and more defensible leasing decisions.”

Source: Washington Post August 19, 2021 19:20 UTC