President Joe Biden has been smacked with another lawsuit this week after he decided to halt oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters.
The Western Energy Alliance, a group representing fossil fuel producers active on federal lands, sued in the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming, alleging Biden exceeded presidential authority.
***VOTE NOW: Should Republicans Conduct A Post-Presidency Impeachment Of OBAMA?***
Alliance President Kathleen Sgamma described Biden’s action as a “ban,” despite his administration trying to claim it was merely a temporary halt on leasing while the administration reviews how to better balance oil and gas on federal lands.
Everyone can clearly see it’s a ban on oil and gas, but Team Biden is trying its best to wordsmith what they are doing.
“The law is clear. Presidents don’t have the authority to ban leasing on public lands. All Americans own the oil and natural gas beneath public lands, and Congress has directed them to be responsibly developed on their behalf,” Sgamma said.
ClearView, an energy research group, said the secretary of the Interior Department has broad discretion in managing public land.
The Mineral Leasing Act, the group says, requires the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management to sell fossil fuel leases on a quarterly basis, but another statute, the Federal Land Policy, and Management Act, allow for the withdrawal of public lands from energy leasing in emergency situations.
The Interior Department claims the pause “won’t impact existing operations or permits for valid, existing leases, which are continuing to be reviewed and approved.”
Earlier this week, a Native American tribe that produces oil also went after the Biden administration.
The Ute Indian Tribe Business Committee in Utah slammed the Biden administration and requested it is exempt from a temporary suspension of oil and gas leasing on federal and tribal lands.
“Your order is a direct attack on our economy, sovereignty, and our right to self-determination. Indian lands are not federal public lands. Any action on our lands and interests can only be taken after effective tribal consultation,” Luke Duncan, chairman of the Ute Indian Tribe Business Committee in Utah, said in a letter to acting U.S. Interior Secretary Scott de la Vega.
The Ute Indian Tribe does not mince words in their response to Interior’s order restricting federal energy development:
“Your order is a direct attack on our economy, sovereignty, and our right to self-determination.” pic.twitter.com/U5MiZCMx4n
— Megan Barnett Bloomgren (@MeganBloomgren) January 22, 2021
“The Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation respectfully requests that you immediately amend Order No. 3395 to provide an exception for energy permits and approvals on Indian lands. The Ute Indian Tribe and other energy-producing tribes rely on energy development to fund our governments and provide services to our members,” the letter added.
***Help Us Take Down The Liberal Media With Our FREE News App!***
“Order No. 3395 violates the United States treaty and trust responsibilities to the Ute Indian Tribe and violates important principles of tribal sovereignty and self-determination. Your order was also issued in violation (of) our government-to-government relationship. Executive Order No. 13175 on Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments, and Interior’s own Policy on Consultation with Tribal Governments,” the letter continued.
