Biden Ordered to Sell Gulf Of Mexico Oil Leases Next Month
- Auction is set to be last of its kind until at least 2025
- Environmentalists sought safeguards for imperiled Rice’s whale
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A federal appeals court ordered the Biden administration to sell drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico within 37 days, a defeat for environmentalists who argued oil leasing and development in the region imperil a critically endangered whale.
The ruling Tuesday by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals means the US Interior Department has until Dec. 20 to conduct the auction that was mandated by last year’s climate law — and is set to be the last of its kind until at least 2025.