A Trump-appointed federal judge for the Western District of Louisiana on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction halting the Biden Administration’s pause on new oil and gas leasing on public land.
U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty’s injunction follows several lawsuits filed by Republican controlled states that stand to be devastated by Biden’s moratorium.
The judge did not rule on whether Biden’s moratorium was legal and just temporarily halted it while the lawsuit makes it through the legal process.
Recall, Joe Biden wasted no time destroying tens of thousands of jobs his first day in office by canceling the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
Biden also put a 60-day moratorium on new oil and natural gas leases and drilling permits on federal lands.
Several states, including states Joe Biden won (supposedly) in 2020 and the Ute Indian tribe came out and blasted Joe Biden’s federal energy bans.
New Mexico’s leaders are worried that Biden’s war on the energy business will devastate the state’s economy, where education, jobs and public programs depend on funding from the industry.
Joe Biden (supposedly) won New Mexico with 54.29% of the vote vs 43.50% for Trump.
“During his inauguration, President Biden spoke about bringing our nation together. Eliminating drilling on public lands will cost thousands of New Mexicans their jobs and destroy what’s left of our state’s economy,” Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway told The Associated Press in January. “How does that bring us together? Environmental efforts should be fair and well-researched, not knee-jerk mandates that just hurt an already impoverished state.”
Other west and southwestern states will also suffer greatly from Joe Biden’s war on energy.
According to Congressman Kevin Brady (T-TX) if Biden’s war on gas and oil is permanent, 120,000 Texas jobs will be lost.
The Ute Indian Tribe in Fort Duchesne, Utah also blasted the Biden Administration’s restrictions on federal energy development.
“Your order is a direct attack on our economy, sovereignty, and our right to self-determination. Indian lands are not federal public lands. Any action on our lands and interest can only be taken after effective tribal consultation,” Luke Duncan, Chairman of the Ute Indian Tribe Business Committee wrote in a letter to Acting Secretary of the Interior.
Mr. Duncan accused the Biden Administration of violating the US Treaty and trust responsibilities to the Ute Indian Tribe and violating the “important principles of tribal sovereignty and self-determination.”
“We are reviewing the judge’s opinion and will comply with the decision,” An Interior Department spokesperson told The Hill. “The Interior Department continues to work on an interim report that will include initial findings on the state of the federal conventional energy programs, as well as outline next steps and recommendations for the Department and Congress to improve stewardship of public lands and waters, create jobs, and build a just and equitable energy future.”