A court’s decision in support of the lawsuit filed by Oklahoma, Louisiana and several other states that fought the Biden administration’s 2021 pause on new oil and gas leasing on federal land was vacated Wednesday by a U.S. circuit judge.
The ruling means the challenge to President Biden’s key piece of his climate change promotion will head back to the original court for more hearings.
Reuters reported the judge serves on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and vacated the Louisiana district court decision against the Interior Department’s leasing pause. The pause was challenged in a lawsuit filed by Oklahoma, Louisiana and several other states.
The suit was a challenge to President Biden’s action in January 2021 to damage the fossil fuel industry and drilling on federal lands, something he contended added to the harmful effects of climate change.
Oklahoma joined Louisiana in the immediate challenge and other states that also took part were: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.