(my emphasis)
Headed back to court?

A coalition of environmental groups sued to block the rules, and in 2007 a federal court ruled that the Forest Service had failed to conduct a biological assessment or to consult with federal wildlife and fisheries agencies.

In April, the Forest Service filed the same rules, with a few modifications, and a finding that the rules had "no effect" on ecosystems.

"We are just going to end up back in court on this. I don't think the administration will get them implemented before they leave," Orr said.

Joe Walsh, a spokesman for the Forest Service, said the agency does not comment on litigation.

The issue the administration is pressing most is energy development.

"The Bush administration has pursued a single-minded policy of energy development," said Nada Culver, senior counsel for the Wilderness Society's BLM Action Center.

The BLM — which is blocked by a congressional moratorium from using money to issue final oil-shale-leasing rules — will try to put out draft rules this summer, according to C. Stephen Allred, assistant secretary for land and minerals management in the Department of the Interior.

Much of the opposition to the shale-oil rules stems from criticism that the agency's environmental impact statement on the effect of shale development was too general.

The Environmental Protection Agency in its comments said the report did "not contain sufficient information to fully assess environmental impacts."

Nevertheless, at a May 15 Senate hearing — when Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter testified in support of the moratorium — Allred told senators the BLM would issue proposed rules and urged the ban on final rules be lifted.

"Absent the certainty that final regulations would bring, the commercial oil-shale industry may not be willing to invest," Allred testified, ". . . and this vast domestic resource will remain untapped at a time when our nation is searching for ways to further its energy security."

In July and August, the BLM will issue six resource management plans for 11 million acres of eastern Utah — opening almost 9 million acres to energy development.

"It's not typical to have six in one state at one time," said Don Ogaard, lead planer for BLM in Utah. "But there has already been public comment on all these plans."

Ogaard said that each plan is open for a 30-day "protest period." The agency is aiming to issue final decisions on all six plans in October.