Foes of Obama oil-gas rule ask court to reconsider ruling
DENVER — Opponents of some Obama-era oil and gas regulations say a decision by a federal appeals court in Denver could allow those rules to go into effect temporarily, even though the Trump administration plans to revoke them.
Four states, two industry groups and a Native American tribe filed documents Friday and Monday asking the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a decision it issued in September.
That decision said it would be a waste of time to rule on whether the regulations are legal because the new administration has already begun to overturn them. But the decision cast doubt on whether the regulations are in force in the meantime.
Colorado, North Dakota, Utah and Wyoming asked the court reconsider. Two industry groups — the Independent Petroleum Association of America and the Western Energy Alliance — filed another request, as did the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Utah.