Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation; Postponement of Certain Compliance Dates

On November 18, 2016, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a final rule entitled, ``Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation'' (the ``Waste Prevention Rule'' or ``Rule''). Immediately after the Waste Prevention Rule was issued, petitions for judicial review of the Rule were filed by industry groups and States with significant BLM-managed Federal and Indian minerals. This litigation has been consolidated and is now pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming. In light of the existence and potential consequences of the pending litigation, the BLM has concluded that justice requires it to postpone the compliance dates for certain sections of the Rule pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act, pending judicial review.