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Climate change cited as Mont. leases suspended

By The Associated Press

Story Created: Mar 18, 2010 at 10:00 PM MST

Story Updated: Mar 18, 2010 at 10:00 PM MST

BILLINGS - A lawyer for environmentalist groups is calling a settlement that requires the government to suspend 38,000 acres of oil and gas leases in Montana a "very big deal."

A federal judge has approved the first-of-its-kind agreement in which the Bureau of Land Management will suspend the 61 leases in Montana within 90 days so it can gauge how oil field activities contribute to climate change.

At issue are the greenhouse gases emitted by drilling machinery and industry practices such as venting natural gas directly into the atmosphere. The environmentalists had argued the industry has allowed too much waste and uses inefficient technologies that could easily be updated.

The BLM says reviewing lease sales for climate change would be a first for the agency.

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