Judge Terry Doughty of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana on June 15 granted a preliminary injunction to Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, to temporarily halt the ban on oil and gas leasing on federal lands which President Joe Biden put into effect on Jan. 27 through an Executive Order. Landry is leading a 13-state coalition that filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior in March. Judge Doughty isn’t making any determination as to the legality of the case, but issued the injunction while the court case proceeds. However, according to the Washington Post June 15, Doughty contends that the administration can’t ban oil and gas leasing without Congressional approval, and that the fossil fuel-producing states involved in the lawsuit have demonstrated “a substantial threat of irreparable injury.”
The 13-state lawsuit reflects the anger felt by many, especially in western states, at the Biden administration’s green policies, which make productive activity a ‘climate crime’. Landry described the injunction as a victory “not only for the rule of law, but also for the thousands of workers who produce affordable energy for Americans.” He charged that Biden overstepped his authority in trying to shut down the oil and gas leases on federal lands, charging that his EO “abandons middle-class jobs, cripples our economy and hits everyday Americans where it hurts the most—their pocketbooks.” He also said it attacks Louisiana’s coast by reducing the revenue and royalties used for coastal restoration and hurricane protection.
