TWIN FALLS, Idaho -- The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld most of a U.S. District Court judge's ruling that blocked new grazing rules by the Bureau of Land Management that would have loosened restrictions on millions of acres of public land nationwide. The Times-News reports that the appeals court on Wednesday agreed with the district judge that the BLM violated two federal laws by failing to consider the environmental ramifications of the regulation changes. In 2007, U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill in Idaho ruled the BLM's rule revisions limited the amount of public comment the BLM had to consider and diluted the BLM's authority to sanction ranchers for grazing violations. Winmill said the agency had given in to pressure from the livestock industry. Environmental groups had sued to stop the rule revisions.
