Philip Gutis: Breaking News: Utah Leases Blocked!

The Bush Administration's attempt to lease some of our most treasured lands for oil drilling was blocked today by a federal district. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina issued a temporary restraining order against the Department of Interior's efforts to lease land that NRDC Trustee Robert Redford calls "one of America's few remaining wildnerness places." Citing Winter v Natural Resources Defense Council, Juge Urbina offered four reasons when a federal court can issue temporary restraining orders: 1. Likely success on the merits. 2. Likely irreparable harm in absence of preliminary relief. 3. The balance of equities "tips in his favor." 4. That an injunction is "in the public interest." In the remainder of his five-page ruling, Judge Urbina discusses why NRDC and the other environmental groups who sued are likely to succeed on each of those points. The ruling, as Sharon Buccino, the Director of NRDC's Lands Program, noted in an email is a "great win." Stay tuned for ... (link)