A major lobby group representing the fossil fuel industry joined five Republican attorneys general Friday in a lawsuit challenging restrictions on offshore drilling announced in the waning days of the Biden administration.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) has joined Mississippi, Alaska, Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia in filing a lawsuit over regulations that prohibit new drilling on millions of acres.
The plaintiffs filed the lawsuit in the Western District of Louisiana, which is seeking an injunction in 2022 against a freeze on new gas and oil leases on federal lands, one of President Biden's first acts in the White House. I recognized it. All states involved in Friday's lawsuit were also plaintiffs in lawsuits challenging the lease freeze.
“Today, we are reversing this politically motivated decision and ensuring that our nation's vast ocean resources continue to provide affordable energy, government revenue, and global funding,” said API Senior Vice President and General Counsel Ryan Myers in a statement. We will take action to ensure that the United States remains an important source of stability.” . “As we move forward with our legal challenges, we continue to urge Congress and the next administration to use every tool at their disposal to restore a pro-American energy approach to federal leasing.”
President Trump is almost certain to seek individual lifting of restrictions after his inauguration ceremony on Monday, and the Biden administration has hinted at doing the same shortly after announcing the move.
But any White House action would likely trigger a legal battle with environmental groups, a battle that President Trump won after seeking to roll back Obama-era regulations during his first term. If the plaintiffs can secure a favorable ruling in Friday's lawsuit, it could happen on a faster timeline than President Trump's efforts to lift the restrictions.
The ban on new drilling was one of several moves the Biden administration made in its final weeks to ensure environmental protections, including establishing a new national monument in California.
