President Joe Biden Continues Oil and Gas Leasing In response to Court ruling – Are you happy with that?
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A federal judge has issued a nationwide order granting President Joe Biden’s oil and gas rights to federal lands.
The court initially found the administration’s ban on issuing new leases illegal in June, but the Biden administration has ignored the court’s decision so far.
The Biden administration has rejected an offer to sell its first oil and gas lease until mid-November.
Bang Sue Over Moratorium
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging the rental moratorium. He was joined by AGs from 12 other states, including Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
In the wake of the oral arguments, Landry’s office issued a press release saying the Biden administration cannot legally halt all rental sales because Congress, by law, has ordered that the sale Rentals take place on a regular basis.
Landry’s statement cited the Offshore Lands Act of 1953 and the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 which explicitly required the Federal government to provide rental sales.
“Joe Biden is damaging tens of thousands of American jobs using legal strategies he knows will fail, all to satisfy his political base,” Landry said. “Moreover, he did nothing to lower energy prices or ease the pain of the pump that is hurting the poor and middle class.”
Landry said in a separate press release released at the time the lawsuit was filed, “By running fiat, Joe Biden and his administration single-handedly pushed up energy prices – leaving the American people where it hurts the most, in their pocket.” March. “Biden Executive Orders give up middle-class jobs at a time when America needs them most and put our energy security in the hands of foreign nations, many of whom despise greatness. of America”.
Landry called the court’s decision good for America, saying the federal order is a victory not only for the rule of law but for thousands of workers that produce affordable energy for Americans.
The lawsuit brings victory
Federal court ruled Biden’s rental moratorium illegal in June 2021, but the administration ignored the court’s order, saying it was reasonable to do so until all appeal is over.
In mid-November, the court confirmed the nationwide order, at which point the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held its first Gulf oil and gas lease in mid-November 2021.
At a news conference held outside BOEM’s New Orleans offices, Landry announced the purchase has benefited hundreds of thousands of Louisianans and hundreds of millions of Americans who depend on low-cost energy. affordable and reliable.
Mike Moncla, president of the Louisiana Petroleum Association, said the judge’s ruling and the sale of the lease were in favor of Louisiana and the nation at large.
“The sale of this lease is an important win, not only for the more than 250,000 oil and gas workers in the state, but for every American facing high energy costs due to high energy costs,” Moncla said. Our supply of oil and gas is reduced.” “We look forward to working with Attorney General Landry as we continue to oppose the failed energy policies of the Biden administration that undermined our nation’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.” .
‘Slowly Moving Towards Compliance’
Limiting oil and gas rentals on federal lands is never going to save the planet, said Bette Grande, president of the Roughrider Policy Center.
North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem also sued in US District Court, asking the Court to force BLM to continue with its mandatory rental program, Grande said.
“In Louisiana v Biden, the judge issued an order forcing the BOEM to act,” Grande said. “The Home Office’s response to that order, citing EO 14008, has been slow to comply.”
‘Track money’
Grande said that this single-lease sale does not mean the Biden administration currently supports domestic oil and gas production.
“Industry experts welcome the end of the rental ban but are wary of new regulatory hurdles to follow,” Grande said. “Effective development of shale resources requires planning and capital, but producers are forced to hopscotch around federal barriers; The result is waste, inefficiency and uncompensated expropriation from mineral owners – all aimed at combating ‘global warming’.
“Biden’s response to the higher gas prices brought about by his policies was to beg countries in the Middle East to sell us more oil,” Grande said. “This shows that the government’s policies are not about climate, but aimed at the pockets of a friendly football team – chasing money.”
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