FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — An agreement to drop a lawsuit over federal oil and gas leases in eastern Arizona won't do much to stop companies from exploring for helium in the region.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved a trio of leases last September in Navajo and Apache counties.
The agency later suspended them after environmentalists went to court and argued the bureau failed to adequately analyze the potential impacts.
A bureau spokeswoman says the agency hopes to start environmental reviews this year.
Meanwhile, the companies that won the leases say they'll work on other nearby parcels.
