Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) has filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Interior for the second time. The filing was released Thursday after the Bureau of Land Management’s decision to pause oil and gas leases. Gordon says the litigation is vital to Wyoming citizens.
Wyoming is the top natural gas producer through federal leases. Pete Obermueller, president of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming, said, “Wyoming’s success is intrinsically linked to the natural gas and oil industry.” The natural gas production industry accounts for 16.6% of employment in Wyoming and boosts employment outside of the state due to the national need for affordable, reliable energy.
The Bureau of Land Management’s decision to cancel lease sales is politically driven, according to Gordon. Wyoming’s energy resources power millions of homes and substantially reduce gas prices. Yet, despite rising inflation, the Biden administration feels the need to pause the hard work laborers put into making the U.S. a leader in efficient energy.
Wyoming governor sues Biden administration over oil and gas contract cancellations | Just The News https://t.co/BNAdaSjMP7
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Gordon sued the Biden administration in the First Quarter of 2021 after it halted federal oil and gas leasing in Wyoming. A district court ruled that the decision was lawful but didn’t consider other cancellations and their potential violations. Gordon hopes the new lawsuit will address the paused sales in the second and third quarters of 2021 and the third quarter of this year.
Wyoming’s governor’s office said that the Bureau of Land Management has gone eighteen months without oil and gas lease sales and still has not resumed regularly scheduled lease sales.
