This is no surprise
From
Sean Dennis@618:618/10 to
All on Wed Jan 27 20:52:10 2021
Not even two weeks in and the Biden administration is being sued.
Killing jobs, pissing off its constituents, causing more damage to the
climate instead of helping it ... this is Obama 2.0. LOL
(From The Epoch Times)
Biden Administration Sued for Halting Oil, Gas Leasing on Federal Lands
By Jack Phillips
January 27, 2021
The Biden administration was sued on Jan. 27 over its executive order to
halt oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Wyoming by the
Western Energy Alliance, a group representing fossil fuel producers
on federal lands. They say President Joe Biden exceeded his authority
with the recent order.
"The law is clear. Presidents don't have authority to ban leasing on
public lands. All Americans own the oil and natural gas beneath public
lands, and Congress has directed them to be responsibly developed on their
behalf," Alliance President Kathleen Sgamma said in a statement,
according to The Washington Times. "Drying up new leasing puts future
development as well as existing projects at risk. President Biden cannot
simply ignore laws in effect for over half a century."
The executive order, Sgamma said, violates the Mineral Leasing Act, the
National Environmental Policy Act, and the Federal Lands Policy and
Management Act.
The lawsuit argues that the administration's suspension of the federal oil
and gas leasing program is "an unsupported and unnecessary action that is
inconsistent with the Secretary's statutory obligations" and is "both
arbitrary and capricious."
The Biden executive order sets up a "pause on entering into new oil and
natural gas leases on public lands or offshore waters to the extent
possible" and will launch a "rigorous review of all existing leasing and
permitting practices related to fossil fuel development on public lands
and waters," according to the White House.
The White House said the move is an attempt to "tackle the climate
crisis."
Republicans and industry leaders said the order would harm the U.S.
economy and result in thousands of job losses.
Dan Naatz of the Independent Petroleum Association of America said in a
separate statement: "Do not be fooled, this is a ban [on drilling]. The
Biden administration's plan to obliterate the jobs of American oil and gas
explorers and producers has been on clear display."
What's more, according to Sgamma, the order would also put at risk $8.8
billion in conservation revenue that is funded in part by mineral
development on federal property.
"Biden's ban is an overreach meant to satisfy the environmental left, but
it would seriously harm the livelihoods of tens of thousands of westerners
and put at risk millions more as state services become unfunded," she
said.
The order doesn't affect existing oil and gas leases, which can last 10
years, officials have said.
The Interior Department stated the pause "won't impact existing operations
or permits for valid, existing leases, which are continuing to be reviewed
and approved."
Republicans in Congress have signaled they will work to stop Biden's
agenda.
"Pie-in-the-sky government mandates and directives that restrict our
mining, oil, and gas industries adversely impact our energy security and
independence," Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), a member of the
GOP's leadership in the House, said in a statement this week.
===
Later,
Sean
... If you don't know your rights, you don't have any.
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