The lawsuit has been officially stayed, pending further action by the
BLM, Cady said.
BLM represents nine of the top 10, and 15 of the top 20 insurance companies and its Liverpool operation dates back to the late 1700s when Joshua Lace started his own law practice.
CFS's senior partner, Cormac Fitzpatrick, added: "The combination with BLM is an extremely positive move for us.
Millett carried two resolutions in 2012 and 2013, respectively, urging BLM to properly plug the legacy wells as soon as possible in order to protect the environment in the Arctic region.
After the energy hearing, AOGCC and BLM began coordinating and categorizing the wells to get agreement on how to move forward.
The BLM treated about 1,000 mares in 2012 but only about half that last year, records show, far short of the annual goal of 2,000 then-BLM Director Bob Abbey announced in February 2011.
Gorey said Wednesday that the BLM asked for $2 million in new contraception research and development in fiscal 2013, but Congress rejected that.
BLM completed its section 603 inventory in 1980, identifying