[JURIST] Leading Thursday's environmental law news, the US Senate [official website] defeated a budget amendment by a 51-48 vote that would have removed drilling authority for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge(ANWR) [official website]. The budget bill [text] itself is expected to be voted on later this evening. In related news, the Senate also passed an amendment by an 86-13 vote that restricts any oil recovered from ANWR from being exported. AP has more.

In other environmental law news…

• Minnesota Department of Commerce [official website] officials announced Wednesday that it is suspending a law that required diesel fuel sold in the state to contain at least two percent soy biodiesel. The suspension follows a discovery that the blended biodiesel fuel [program website] was not meeting state fuel specifications. The suspension is expected to last until next week. Reuters has more.
• The Task Force on Updating the National Environmental Policy Act [official website], a subgroup of the US House Resources Committee [official website], announced [press release] Thursday that it will hold a hearing next week to discuss litigation and how it impacts NEPA [text] process. The Task Force is charged with reviewing and making recommendations on how to improve NEPA.