Environmental groups sued the Biden administration on Wednesday, seeking to block oil and gas lease sales in eight states as they kicked off in Wyoming.
The legal action comes as the Department of the Interior holds auctions that were effectively compelled by a federal judge last year. The ruling a year ago blocked the government's efforts to suspend federal oil and gas leasing over its climate impacts, a setback to President Joe Biden's climate agenda.
"BLM continues to recklessly lease large swaths of the western United States to oil and gas development without comprehensively reviewing these connected actions and analyzing the severity of the resulting climate impacts from the addition of thousands of tons of emissions into the atmosphere," the groups said in the complaint.
The planned sales will run on Wednesday and Thursday and cover nearly 130,000 acres. Most of the acreage is in Wyoming, a major oil producing state. The rest are sprinkled across Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Utah.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Biden admin to hold first onshore drilling auctions in blow to climate agendaThe U.S. Interior Department this week will hold its first onshore oil and gas auctions since President Joe Biden took office, a setback to his administration's early efforts to end federal drilling to fight climate change.
Read more »
HHS Secretary Becerra: Biden admin may 'assist' transporting women wanting abortions across state linesHealth and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is considering providing transportation for women to get abortions after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade
Read more »
Biden officials privately doubt that Ukraine can win back all of its territoryWhite House officials are losing confidence that Ukraine will ever be able to take back all of the land it has lost to Russia over the past four months of war, US officials told CNN
Read more »
Amnesty Report Demands Biden Take Action to End Death Penalty\u0022The world is waiting for the USA to do what almost 100 countries have achieved during this past half-century—total abolition of the death penalty,\u0022 said the group.
Read more »
Biden calls migrant deaths ‘horrifying and heartbreaking’President Joe Biden says the deaths of migrants who were in the back of a tractor-trailer in Texas is 'horrifying and heartbreaking.'
Read more »