By Derek Draplin | The Center Square
A federal judge in Louisiana has halted the Biden administration’s moratorium on new oil and gas leases for federal lands.
The Tuesday decision marks a setback for President Joe Biden’s aggressive agenda to curb climate change by focusing on green energy and overturn the former Trump administration’s regulatory rollbacks.
Judge Terry Doughty of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana granted a preliminary injunction in the case, stating the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) is “restrained from implementing the Pause of new oil and natural gas leases on public lands or in offshore waters.”
Biden signed the order halting new oil and gas leases on Jan. 27, pledging that his administration would “reset” the federal program.
“We are reviewing the judge’s opinion and will comply with the decision,” a DOI spokesperson told The Center Square in an email. “The Interior Department continues to work on an interim report that will include initial findings on the state of the federal conventional energy programs, as well as outline next steps and recommendations for the Department and Congress to improve stewardship of public lands and waters, create jobs, and build a just and equitable energy future.”
Thirteen states, led by Louisiana, sued the administration in March over the order, arguing it violated federal law.
“This is a victory not only for the rule of law, but also for the thousands of workers who produce affordable energy for Americans,” Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said in a statement.
“The President’s Executive Order abandons middle-class jobs, cripples our economy, and hits everyday Americans where it hurts the most – their pocketbooks,” he continued. “What’s more: it attacks Louisiana’s coast by reducing the revenue and royalties used for coastal restoration and hurricane protection.”
Louisiana is joined in the lawsuit by Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
The Biden administration is also facing lawsuits over the order from Wyoming, as well as industry groups.
Lets. go all electric No nuclear power, no coal, no natural gas. Do it all with hopes and sunshinge
Like Los Angelos haveing an eletric overload, and it is not even the hottest weather
Like Texas crashing their grid due to totally fickle power from windmills. No electric, no water, no communication!!
Not a great way to live, an absolute DANGEROUS disaster
Better yet, they want to replace our now super clean gasoline and diesel vehicleswith electric power – with no plan to increase generating capacity.
And with a 200 mile range, you might get 400 miles on a LONG day, With 2 hour long recharges,
rather than 500 of easy simple travel, quick refills with a gasoline/diesel vehicle
I am for Electric, when it reliable and cheap, Like NUCLEAR.
While I’m not a fan of Judges overturning EO’s I’m a lesser fan of ill thought out EO’s that infringe on States rights and cost Americans more at the pump as well as 100’s of other places because as the Left always forgets or don’t care that fossil fuel is used for more then just gasoline. The rise in inflation is a direct consequence of the potato head puppet’s EO so hopefully it stays overturned. And Yea for at least one non/soros judge…
When will the loony left realize that we can’t stop climate change? For most of this planet’s history there has been no ice at the poles. We are currently living in an ice age. But they still want to ward of the boogeyman by turning the US into an underdeveloped country.