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WASHINGTON- A federal court has rejected a proposal to lease millions of acres in the Gulf of Mexico for offshore oil drilling, claiming that the Biden administration failed to sufficiently account for the lease sale’s impact on global-warming greenhouse gas emissions, thereby breaching a fundamental environmental rule.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington on Thursday remands the proposed lease sale to the Interior Department for further consideration. The judge said it was up to the Interior Department to determine whether to proceed with the sale following a revised evaluation, cancel it, or take other action.
Environmental organizations applauded the decision, saying it provided President Joe Biden an opportunity to follow through on a campaign vow to end offshore leasing in federal seas. The decision was made one year after Biden announced a federal leasing ban as part of his efforts to tackle climate change.
“We are thrilled that the court rejected the Interior Department’s unconstitutional lease sale,” said Brettny Hardy, a senior attorney with Earthjustice, one of the environmental organizations that challenged the transaction.
“This government must meet this vital moment and follow President Biden’s campaign commitments by putting an end to offshore leasing once and for all,” Hardy elaborated. “We just cannot continue to invest in the fossil fuel sector at the expense of our communities and an ever-warming world.”
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s spokesman said the government was reconsidering the decision.
In November, Shell, BP, Chevron, and ExxonMobil proposed a total of $192 million for drilling rights on federal oil and gas deposits in the Gulf of Mexico.
The auction was held after attorneys general from Republican states, led by Louisiana, successfully challenged a sales to halt placed by Biden when he assumed office.
Companies competed for 308 parcels totaling roughly 2,700 square miles (6,950 square kilometers). It was the most acreage and the second-highest bid amount since Gulf-wide bidding was reinstated in 2017.
