Preliminary Injunction Blocking New Oil and Gas Leases Paused
Office of the Texas Attorney General
AUSTIN (News Release) - Attorney General Paxton announced that a district judge has issued a nationwide preliminary injunction on the Biden Administration’s oil and gas leasing moratorium, which intended to put a pause on the sale of new oil and gas leases on federal public lands and offshore waters by an executive order issued January 27, 2021. The executive order was a clear violation of the Administrative Procedure Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, and the Mineral Leasing Act. The moratorium would have cost millions, possibly billions, of dollars for oil and gas workers, state and local government funding, and funds for the restoration of state coastlines.
“I am pleased that the court recognized this federal overreach and worked promptly to end the implementation of this ill-advised moratorium that would harm the U.S. economy and cost many their livelihoods,” Attorney General Paxton said. “President Biden does not have the authority to revise Congressionally-mandated statutes on a political whim. Alongside Louisiana, and the eleven other states who joined our cause, we will continue to challenge any unconstitutional executive orders that this Administration tries to implement.”
Read the Judge’s Ruling here.