Lawsuit Challenges Pendley Over 1.7 Million-Acre Fossil Fuel Plan in Colorado

DENVER— Climate groups filed new legal claims today challenging the federal government’s 1.7 million-acre resource-management plan to expand fossil fuel development in southwestern Colorado, saying it should be overturned because it was approved during William Perry Pendley’s unlawful tenure directing the Bureau of Land Management.

“This amendment to our challenge of the Uncompahgre RMP reflects a reality that is now established legal precedent: Pendley’s authority as bureau director is invalid and planning decisions approved on his watch are likewise invalid,” said Melissa Hornbein, staff attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center. “The RMP is blatant in its disregard of the law, and our new claim merely reflects the fact that its legal failings stem from Pendley’s unlawful leadership of the bureau.”

Today’s claims follow a court order last week overturning three Pendley resource-management plans in…