Oil firms sue Biden admin over drilling restrictions to safeguard whales.

An Industry in Dispute: Lawsuit Filed Against ⁤Biden Administration

An oil and gas industry trade group, the ⁣state of Louisiana, and Chevron ⁤on Thursday sued the Biden administration over its decision ⁣to ⁢withdraw acreage from an upcoming oil and gas ⁢lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico to protect ⁤an endangered whale.

The suit is the‌ latest dispute between the oil ‍and gas industry‍ and the administration of ‌President⁢ Joe Biden over leasing federal lands and waters for energy development.

Protecting the⁣ Environment ⁣vs. Energy Development

Biden paused federal drilling auctions shortly after taking office in 2021 as‍ part​ of his climate change agenda, but the year-old Inflation Reduction ​Act ​requires that the government hold ⁣the⁤ Gulf of ‌Mexico lease sale planned for next month.

The lawsuit, filed in federal⁤ court for ‍the Western District of Louisiana, comes ‍after⁣ the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Wednesday​ finalized plans to⁢ conduct the ⁢lease sale. The final sale notice included new restrictions on‌ development meant to protect the endangered Rice’s whale.

“Today we’re taking steps to ​challenge the Department of the Interior’s unjustified actions to further⁢ restrict American energy access in the Gulf of Mexico,” American Petroleum ​Institute Senior Vice President and ​General Counsel​ Ryan Meyers said in a statement.

The Interior⁤ Department did​ not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Unjustified Changes‌ and ​Legal Disputes

The new lease ​stipulations removed‌ more than 6 million acres (2.4 million hectares) originally intended to be offered⁢ at the auction and require ⁤vessel operators maintain a vigilant watch for the whales and ⁤abide by speed restrictions in the ⁣whale’s habitat.

API argued⁤ that the changes were unjustified‌ and unlawful.

The changes stem from an agreement earlier this month between⁢ federal agencies​ and environmental⁣ groups that sued in 2020⁤ alleging ​the government ⁢did not provide adequate safeguards ​for the whales. That lawsuit is now⁢ paused.

Upcoming Lease Sale

Lease Sale 261 will be held ⁤on ⁢Sept. 27 and will offer approximately 12,395 blocks ‌on approximately 67 million ⁤acres (27‍ million hectares) ⁢on the U.S. Outer‍ Continental Shelf in​ the Western, Central, and Eastern Planning Areas in the Gulf of Mexico.

(Reporting ⁣by Mrinmay Dey and Nichola Groom;‍ editing by Michael Perry)