AZL General Discussion, page-2729

Senators don't make BLM decisions. There are three branches of government. The "Administration" refers to the President and his appointed officials (some of whom must be confirmed by the Senate, but the guy who owns the coal mine has gone along with most of those). If you see a contradiction, you don't understand American government. Which is fine, because I don't pretend expertise in Australian affairs.

Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) is the second branch. And the third branch is the judiciary, which can order BLM to take action, or refrain from acting, when plaintiffs have the law on their side.

If you want odds, it's 50/50 for BLM approval of what is inconsequential in the short term -- nothing wrong with drilling holes and filling them back up -- but perhaps an indication of direction in the long term. And of course, the long term can change if there is a change in Administration in 2025. Stick around. But there's a 95% chance that a lawsuit (Hualapai, or ranchers, or both as you see at Thacker Pass) will delay the start of work, by at least a year and probably two.