"The decision cancels 1.7 million acres of drilling leases, citing a flawed analysis completed during the Trump administration".
"A federal judge on Thursday invalidated the largest offshore oil and gas lease sale in the nation’s history, ruling that the Biden administration violated federal law by relying on a seriously flawed analysis of the climate change impact of drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
The decision, by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, threw out 1.7 million acres of oil and gas leases that the Biden administration did not want to sell. Shortly after taking office, President Biden suspended new oil and gas drilling on lands and waters owned by the federal government. But after a Louisiana judge struck down the moratorium last summer, administration officials said they were forced to go through with the sale in November.
The auction took place just four days after Biden pledged ambitious climate action to world leaders at a United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland. Though the administration offered up to 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico for drilling leases, the Interior Department ultimately sold only a fraction of that amount. The sale netted nearly $192 million and ranked as the most profitable offshore auction since March 2019."
Anna Phillips and Maxine Joselow report for the Washington Post January 27, 2022.
SEE ALSO:
"U.S. Judge Annuls Gulf Of Mexico Oil Auction Over Climate Impact" (Reuters)
"Court Revokes Oil and Gas Leases, Citing Climate Change" (New York Times)
"Federal Judge Throws Out Oil Lease Sale In Gulf Of Mexico" (AP)
"Court Revokes Largest-Ever U.S. Offshore Oil Lease, Cites NEPA" (E&E News)
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