States sue to undo Biden pause on US oil and gas lease sales

The 13 Republican-leaning states seek a court order ending the moratorium that United States President Joe Biden imposed in January.

Thirteen states sued the administration of United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday to end a suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and water and to reschedule cancelled sales of leases in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska waters and western states. The Republican-leaning states, led by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, seek a court order ending the moratorium imposed after Biden, a Democrat, signed executive orders on climate change on January 27. The suit specifically seeks an order that the government go ahead with a sale of oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico that had been scheduled for March 17 until it was cancelled; and a lease sale that had been planned for this year in Alaska’s Cook Inlet.