Offshore oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico off Port Fourchon, La., in April.
Photo: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg News
A federal judge in Louisiana issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Biden administration from pausing new oil and gas leases on federal land.
Judge Terry A. Doughty of the U.S. District Court in Monroe said the administration doesn’t have the legal right to stop leasing federal territory for oil and gas production without approval from Congress.
The judge, appointed by former President Donald Trump, also said that states suing the federal government—largely southern and coastal states—will be harmed immediately as the pause prevents them from collecting lease bids and bonuses from oil and gas prospectors.
The suit was filed by the states of Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
Mr. Biden, during his first week in office, directed the Interior Department to suspend the program, among several new initiatives aimed at addressing climate change.
—Katy Stech Ferek contributed to this article.
Write to Timothy Puko at [email protected]
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