New Mexico oil drilling permits thwarted by tribe, greens

A federal appeals court said the government inappropriately ignored the dangers of hazardous air pollutants when issuing permits to drill oil and gas wells in northwestern New Mexico, in what environmental groups say is a "new precedent" that will help protect community health.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision Wednesday invalidated the government's analysis of the impact of drilling, finding the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) violated the National Environmental Policy Act by conducting inadequate environmental reviews for nearly 200 drilling applications in the greater Chaco region, which is...