Oklahoma Federal Judge Sets Aside Oil, Gas Drilling Approvals On Pawnee Land

( August 18, 2026, 9:56 AM EDT) -- TULSA, Okla. — An Oklahoma federal judge ordered that a series of oil and gas drilling permits on tribal land approved by federal agencies be set aside as unlawful after finding that the agencies acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner and failed to take the “hard look” required by federal environmental law in considering the impact of the drilling....