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Federal
judge halts Biden's oil and gas lease moratorium
[The Center Square] By Derek Draplin
There is a tempest brewing
at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Recently, the agency opted to
approve aducanumab, which is the first drug on the market potentially
capable of slowing down Alzheimer’s disease. The medication was approved
amid considerable controversy with many detractors of the purported
wonder drug. And now, three medical experts on the FDA’s advisory
committee have resigned in protest. |
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 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."
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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.
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