Sen. Joe Manchin (D-Va.) on Thursday criticized the Biden administration for delaying a major offshore oil and gas lease sale and called for the sale to move forward within two weeks.
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Manchin made the comments after a federal appeals court blocked a lower court ruling that invalidated last-minute restrictions on lease sales by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). Lease Sale 261, which is expected to cover nearly 73 million acres across the Gulf of Mexico, was originally scheduled for September but was postponed to early November due to ongoing litigation.
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“This administration has completely undermined Lease Sale 261 despite clear instructions.” [Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)] “We have asked for the sale to proceed by September 30th,” Manchin said in a statement, adding, “In its eagerness to comply with the demands of environmental groups, the Interior Department has sidestepped important legal requirements, leading to litigation and… The sale had already been postponed until November.” 8.”
“Reducing or further delaying Lease Sale 261 could threaten both our energy security and climate goals and further increase our dependence on dirty foreign oil and gas. “If this does not proceed, the IRA prohibits BOEM from continuing with offshore wind leases,” he continued.
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Sen. Joe Manchin (D-Va.) speaks at a committee hearing on July 19 at the U.S. Capitol. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The IRA, which Manchin spearheaded last year, urged the Biden administration to hold a 261st lease sale by Sept. 30, in addition to two previously planned offshore lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico. Obliged. The White House suddenly attempted to halt three sales, including 261, in May 2022, claiming there was little industry interest in the sales.
As Manchin noted, the law also ties new offshore wind energy leases to new oil and gas leases, potentially threatening the former without consistent fossil fuel leases. It means that.
In late August, fossil fuel industry group the American Petroleum Institute (API), along with the state of Louisiana and U.S. oil company Chevron, announced that BOEM had issued notices of sale of 261 leases, reducing available land by 6 million acres. sued BOEM. As part of the settlement with Eco Group, oil and gas extraction was significantly increased compared to previously planned. The agency also placed several restrictions on companies obtaining drilling leases.
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Then, on September 21, Judge James Cain of the Western District of Louisiana granted the plaintiffs a preliminary injunction and ordered the Biden administration to proceed with the lease sale 261 without restrictions. After the government appealed, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted BOEM a delay in the sale until November 8.
And on Thursday, the appellate panel issued an indefinite injunction against the lower court’s preliminary injunction. The next arguments in the case are scheduled for Nov. 13, but it is unclear whether BOEM will further delay lease sales as a result of Thursday’s ruling.
The Biden administration is facing lawsuits from the fossil fuel industry and the state of Louisiana after it reached a settlement with environmental groups that restricted 261 lease sales. (Getty Images)
A BOEM spokesperson declined to comment.
“We believe the injunction blocking the Biden administration’s unlawful restrictions on continued access and development of reliable, low-carbon energy in the Gulf of Mexico is fully justified, and we intend to file suit in the Fifth Circuit.” We are looking forward to it,” said the API senior lieutenant. President and General Counsel Ryan Myers told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“We remain committed to delivering a stronger future for America’s energy workers, the Gulf economy, and America’s energy security,” Myers said.
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Manchin added Thursday that if the federal government needs to withdraw from voluntary settlement agreements with environmental groups to ensure the 261st Lease Sale can be held on Nov. 8, “so be it.”
Oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, File)
The federal government’s stipulated stay agreement, filed on July 21, states: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) The group agreed to a number of conditions requested by the group, and the group accordingly agreed to suspend litigation in the related case. The case dates back nearly three years, when the Environmental Coalition sued NMFS in October 2020, accusing it of failing to properly assess the oil industry’s impact on endangered marine wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico.
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The groups pursued the lawsuit after NMFS coordinated a multi-agency consultation to examine the effects of all federally regulated oil and gas activities on regulated and listed species. endangered species act in the Gulf of Mexico for the next 50 years. The organizations argued in their original complaint that NMFS’ biological opinion from the consultation was not based on the best science.
The settlement specifically expands protections for the rice whale, which is listed as an endangered species.
