Biden Issues Dozens of Oil Drilling Permits in First Few Days

  • Interior has temporarily put agency brass in charge of issue
  • Oil industry worried move amounted to a permitting freeze

   

Photographer: Tim Rue/Bloomberg

Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

The Biden administration has issued at least 31 new drilling permits authorizing operations on federal land and coastal waters, despite an order putting political appointees in charge of the decisions.

The move signals those drilling authorizations are continuing to flow, despite President Joe Biden’s plan to pause oil and gas leasing -- and a Jan. 20 orderBloomberg Terminal temporarily putting decisions about oil and gas permits, mining operations, hiring and other matters in the hands of top Interior Department officials.

Up Next
Biden Issues Dozens of Oil Drilling Permits in First Few Days