The administration tried in its first days in office to put a stop to new oil and gas drilling. On January 27, Biden signed an executive order that paused new permits and directed the Department of Interior to launch a “rigorous review” of existing programs related to fossil fuel development.
But a lawsuit filed in March on behalf of 13 states led to a judgment that blocked Biden’s pause.
“Millions and possibly billions of dollars are at stake,” Judge Terry Doughty wrote in his ruling. Doughty was nominated in 2017 to the US District Court for the Western District of Louisiana by…
