Judge Permanently Blocks Biden Oil and Gas Leasing Pause in 13 States
A federal judge Thursday issued a permanent injunction against the Biden administration’s pause of new oil and gas leasing in federal lands.
The injunction applies to the 13 states that sued the Biden administration over the moratorium in March 2021, including Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
Terry Doughty, the U.S. district judge for the Western District of Louisiana, ruled that the White House overreached in the ban.
President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14008 on Jan. 27, 2021, banning all new oil and natural gas leases on federal lands and offshore waters. The order didn’t cancel existing leases on federal lands and offshore waters. Leases on private lands were also not affected….