A federal judge in Louisiana has ruled that the Biden administration went too far when it moved to indefinitely block new drilling off large portions of the U.S. coastline.
The Trump administration has since moved to lift the Biden-era order that blocked drilling in the 625 million acre area, so the ruling may not have immediate impacts on those waters.
But it still presents a win for oil and gas proponents.
Judge James Cain, a Trump appointee, ruled that both former Presidents Biden and Obama exceeded their authorities when they tried to permanently protect the offshore areas from drilling.
Cain wrote that both of their orders “constituted a departure from the executive branch’s longstanding practice and exceed the authority granted” to them under law.
Biden’s order blocked new drilling off the entire East Coast and California, Oregon, Washington state, as well as off some portions of Alaska’s Coast and in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico.
The vast majority of U.S. offshore oil and gas production comes from the central and western Gulf of Mexico, which was unaffected by Biden’s move.
Nevertheless, a major oil and gas lobbying group celebrated the ruling.
“We welcome the court’s decision to vacate this politically motivated decision and ensure our nation’s vast offshore resources remain a critical source of affordable energy, government revenue and stability around the world,” said Ryan Meyers, senior vice president and general counsel at the American Petroleum Institute, in a written statement.
Source: The Hill
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