The US federal government has appealed against a judgment by the district court in Louisiana v.
The US federal government has appealed against a judgment by the district court in Louisiana v. Biden, which ordered the Department of the Interior to end the pause in new federal oil and gas leasing. The federal onshore and offshore oil and gas leasing programme will continue as required by the district court while the government’s appeal is pending.
As a result, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) was ordered to submit a record of decision for Lease Sale 257 in the Gulf of Mexico to the Federal Register by the end of August. The sale notice for Lease Sale 257 is expected to be published in September. By law, the lease sale must take place no later than 30 days after publication of the sale notice. This autumn, the BOEM also will issue and take comments on a draft environmental impact statement analysing Lease Sale 258 in Cook Inlet.
The BLM will undertake environmental reviews of parcels for potential leasing. After this review, state offices will identify eligible parcels and applicable stipulations in lease sale notices posted later this year.
‘We continue to review the programme’s noted shortcomings, including completing a report,’ the Department of the Interior said in a statement. ‘The department also will undertake a programmatic analysis to address what changes in the department’s programmes may be necessary to meet the president’s targets of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.’
