Interior Plans Sales of Drilling Rights After Judge’s Ruling
- Oil, gas leasing to go forward in Gulf of Mexico, U.S. West
- Conservationists have argued for permanent leasing ban
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The Biden administration moved Tuesday to resume selling oil and gas drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the western U.S., after a judge ruled the president’s leasing pause was unlawful.
The Interior Department said it planned to issue a formal notice in September to reschedule a Gulf lease auction and would take steps toward selling onshore tracts. The plan, announced in an emailed statement, marks the first public step to restart leasing since President Joe Biden ordered the halt on Jan. 27 and a federal district judge ruled against the moratorium in June.