Biden is still trying to ban federal oil, gas leasing

The Biden administration asked a federal court this week to uphold its ban on new federal oil and gas leasing, according to Department of Justice (DOJ) court filings.

The administration argued the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana should toss an April 29 motion from more than a dozen states asking the presiding judge to permanently nix the leasing ban, according to the Monday filings. The Louisiana court placed an injunction on the ban in June 2021, forcing the federal government to hold oil and gas lease sales until a final ruling was issued in the case.

“The government’s position is laid out in its filings,” Department of the Interior (DOI) spokesperson Melissa Schwartz told The Daily Caller News Foundation in an email Wednesday.

In April, the DOI — which hasn’t held a single onshore oil and gas lease sale during President Joe Biden’s tenure — finally scheduled six sales for June, saying the court injunction issued more than 10 months prior had forced its hand. However, the agency delayed four of the sales, one of which was scheduled for Tuesday, after environmental groups filed protests. – READ MORE