As oil and gas development has increased in portions of the West over the past few years tensions have increased between holders of surface grazing rights and mineral developers.  We were recently retained by the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association and effected member companies to intervene on behalf of the Bureau of Land Management in an action brought in the District of Columbia by a grazing rights holders against BLM for allegedly not sufficiently regulating oil and gas development on lands used for grazing as well as mineral development.  (Blancett v. Bureau of Land Management et al., No. 04CV02152 (D.D.C.).)