The Biden administration blocks nearly 60,000 acres of oil drilling leases

An agreement has been reached between President Joe Biden's administration and pro-environment groups to block oil and gas drilling on more than 58,000 acres of public lands.

Image by jwigley from Pixabay

113 leases for fossil fuel exploration and drilling were awarded by the Trump administration in 2019 and 2020, according to the lawsuit filed in 2021. The case was filed a few days before Biden took office by a coalition of conservation groups.

57,326 hectares of land covered by 113 leases in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana will no longer receive drilling permits, according to terms of the settlement.

Until the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) completes a comprehensive environmental and climate impact assessment, it will not make a final decision on leases and drilling permits.

According to Deb Haaland's April 2021 order, such reviews must prioritize climate change goals as part of the analysis.

Biden administration reconsidered oil and gas lease sales in June following lawsuits filed by WildEarth Guardians and other groups.