Wyoming Sues Administration Over Oil and Gas Leasing Ban

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – The state of Wyoming sued the Biden administration Wednesday challenging what state lawmakers describe as a “de-facto moratorium on oil and gas leasing” on federal land.
The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Wyoming, asserts Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s implementation of the leasing moratorium contained in Executive Order 14008 is invalid under federal law.
“Following a careful review of not only the president’s Executive Order, but its practical effect, it is necessary for Wyoming to protect its citizens and challenge the secretary’s action,” said Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, in a written statement.
“Not only is this federal action overreaching, it was implemented without public input as required under federal law,” he said.
The lawsuit states the administration’s action violates the National Environmental Policy Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, the Mineral Leasing Act and the Federal Land Policy Management Act.
The state is requesting the court set aside the secretary’s action and require the Bureau of Land Management to resume quarterly oil and gas lease sales, which have been suspended since the order was signed.
The governor went on to assert that blocking oil and gas leasing in Wyoming and elsewhere will not meet the climate goals of the administration, as production will simply shift to other countries with less stringent emissions standards.
“The world will continue to need and use oil and gas for the foreseeable future,” Gordon said. “The question is whether it will be produced under the environmental safeguards in place on federal lands in Wyoming, or overseas without equally stringent regulations.”
A copy of the suit may be found here.
In The News
Health
Voting
In The States

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden White House is amplifying the push for its $2.3 trillion infrastructure package with the release of state-by-state breakdowns that show the dire shape of roads, bridges, the power grid and housing affordability.The figures in the state summaries, obtained by The Associated... Read More

In a sign that the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is continuing, the Washington D.C. area’s largest hotel -- the Gaylord National Resort at National Harbor -- will reopen July 1. Hotel owner Ryman Hospitality Properties lost more than a year of convention and conference business... Read More

The CDC has issued a report finding that small, yellow-tinged songbirds from the finch family were linked to 19 infections of salmonella across the U.S. Rachel Curtis-Robles, a public health educator and outreach officer for the California Department of Wildlife, advised residents of San Mateo... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Republicans are moving to pass their own set of limits on voting as legislation restricting early voting access awaits a House committee assignment. The Texas bill, one of 361 bills pending nationwide with restrictive provisions, passed along party lines in the Senate... Read More

An executive order on Tuesday from Texas' governor that prohibits state agencies from using tax money for vaccine passports is kicking up a dispute over the breadth of public health laws during the COVID-19 pandemic. Airlines and other private companies are moving ahead with their own... Read More

WASHINGTON - Nearly 200 companies have come out against Republican voting legislation critics say is simply a blatant attempt to disenfranchise millions of Black and minority voters. The chief executives of Dow, Levi’s Survey Monkey, PayPal and Uber were among the more than 170 executives who... Read More