On March 24, 2021, 13 states[1], led by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry (R), sued the Biden administration over its restrictions on new oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters.[2] On the same day, Wyoming filed a separate challenge against the Biden administration in a different federal court.[3] On January 27, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order 14008 which, among other initiatives, blocked new leasing while the administration conducts a review of the environmental impacts of the federal oil and gas program. The Louisiana-led lawsuit argues that the Biden administration violated requirements under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) and the Mineral Leasing Act (MLA) to develop energy resources on federal lands and waters. According to the lawsuit, Biden’s policy could cause economic harm in fossil fuel-producing states like Louisiana and Texas. It could also cause energy prices to increase, which would indirectly harm the rest of the country. The lawsuit requested that the federal court block actions that relied on the executive order and allow the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to restart quarterly oil and gas lease sales.

[1] Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia

[2] http://agjefflandry.com/Article/10878

[3] https://governor.wyo.gov/media/news-releases/2021-news-releases/wyoming-launches-lawsuit-challenging-biden-administrations-federal-leasing