President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday (Jan. 27) suspending the issuance of new oil and gas leases in federal territory. On the same day, the Western Energy Alliance filed a lawsuit against Biden.
According to the Washington Times, the Western Energy Alliance filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Wyoming District Court alleging that Biden’s order exceeds his presidential authority and violates the Mineral Leasing Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Federal Lands Policy and Management Act.
Wyoming ranks first in natural gas production on federal lands and has more federal lands leased for mineral development than any other state.
“The law is clear. The president does not have the authority to prohibit leasing on public lands. All Americans own oil and gas on public lands, and Congress has directed that development be done responsibly,” said Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance. Stopping new leases puts future development as well as existing projects at risk. President Biden cannot simply ignore laws that have been in effect for more than half a century.”
Biden’s executive order establishes “a moratorium on new oil and gas leases on public lands or near-coastal waters to the extent possible” and initiates “a rigorous review of all existing leases and permitting related to fossil fuel development on public lands and waters.
The White House said the measure was needed to “address the climate crisis” in line with Biden’s campaign promises.
Republicans and industry officials have argued that a moratorium on leasing would be devastating to the economy. They cite a Wyoming Department of Energy study from last December. The study predicted that a leasing moratorium would drop the gross domestic product of eight western states by $33.5 billion and cost 58,676 jobs annually.
Skama said Biden’s ban goes too far and is designed to meet the needs of the left, “but it will severely harm the livelihoods of tens of thousands of Westerners and put millions at risk as state services become unfunded.”
Congressional Republicans strongly oppose Biden’s policy, saying it is killing jobs while also threatening national security.
“The United States has become a world leader in energy production and a major exporter of oil and natural gas, which strengthens our national security and boosts the economy for hard-working families,” House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and 30 members of the House Energy Action Group and 30 Republican members of the House Energy Action Group said in a statement Wednesday.
“In less than a week, the Biden Administration has attacked American energy and the good jobs and low energy costs that go with it, putting those jobs and achievements at risk.” The statement said.
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