November 09, 2022
An Oklahoma federal judge denied the state government's claim that it retains authority over surface mining on the Muscogee (Creek), Cherokee and Choctaw Native American reservations despite a law that assigns jurisdiction to the U.S. Department of Interior.
August 29, 2022
Oklahoma continues to push for authority to regulate coal extraction and other so-called surface mining on Native American land, while accusing federal officials of overstepping their jurisdiction — and violating federalist principles — in seeking full control over those activities.
July 29, 2022
The U.S. Department of the Interior has urged a federal judge to deliver an early win against Oklahoma's suit over coal mining on three tribes' lands, saying a DOI agency has sole authority to regulate there in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's McGirt decision.
June 14, 2022
Oklahoma has asked a federal judge for an early win in its suit seeking to regulate coal mining on Native American tribal lands, saying the Supreme Court's McGirt decision doesn't give the U.S. Department of the Interior the leverage to take away the state's authority over coal mining.
January 25, 2022
The federal government is pushing back on Oklahoma's claims it illegally took away the state's authority over coal mining on Muscogee (Creek) Nation lands, arguing that federal surface mining laws clearly preclude state authorities from exercising jurisdiction over Native American lands.
December 22, 2021
Oklahoma lost its bid for an injunction to block the federal government from regulating coal mining on tribal lands in the state Wednesday, with a federal judge saying that the U.S. Supreme Court's McGirt decision has led to legal "havoc" but that the high court ruling and statutory language may doom Oklahoma's suit.
December 14, 2021
The federal government urged an Oklahoma federal judge to approve its request for an injunction against Oklahoma for refusing to acknowledge its jurisdiction over coal mining in Indian Country.
November 05, 2021
The U.S. government has filed a counter complaint against Oklahoma for its refusal to acknowledge federal jurisdiction over coal mining in Indian Country, in a heated dispute over the boundaries of the U.S. Supreme Court's McGirt decision.
August 24, 2021
Oklahoma has urged a federal judge to prevent the U.S. Department of the Interior from taking away the state's ability to regulate coal on tribal lands, saying the government shouldn't be allowed to leverage last year's McGirt decision beyond criminal cases.
July 19, 2021
Oklahoma has hit the U.S. Department of the Interior with claims that the department is threatening the coal industry by illegally taking away the state's authority over coal mining on Muscogee (Creek) Nation lands, teeing up a major test of how the Supreme Court's landmark McGirt decision applies to state regulation.