Even as a legal battle rages over the Biden administration’s suspension of the leasing program two years ago in an effort to combat climate change, a federal court has ordered the US government to resume regular oil and gas lease sales on federal lands in North Dakota.
North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley hailed the ruling as a victory, saying canceled lease sales cost the state over $100 million in revenue each year and denied the country “much-needed access to oil and gas during these difficult times of high inflation and threats to our energy security,” according to the Bismarck Tribune.
North Dakota Oil Output
Last year’s federal climate law featured a Democratic political compromise aimed at ensuring oil and gas lease sales by connecting them to the renewable energy development advocated by Biden. Federal officials have suggested a June lease sale totaling 21,000 acres (8,498 hectares) in North Dakota and Montana, citing that statute.
However, it is unclear how frequently future lease sales will be placed. According to court documents, North Dakota’s push to resume quarterly lease sales before the lawsuit was resolved would be a “rush to judgment” and expose the Bureau of Land Management to increased litigation risk from environmental conservation groups.
Wyn Hornbuckle, a department spokesperson, declined to comment on the decision. North Dakota’s Republican governor, Doug Burgum, issued a statement applauding the judge’s decision to force the bureau to resume “their lawfully required quarterly oil and gas lease sales.” The state ranks third in the US in terms of oil production, trailing only Texas and New Mexico.
Oil, Gas Lease Effects To Climate
The Biden administration requires the government to reevaluate any potential climate implications from oil and gas leases.
The Biden administration secured a legal settlement in September that forces the government to reassess any climate impacts from oil and gas leases put up for sale on government land in North Dakota and Montana under the Trump administration.
Similar agreements have been negotiated for lease sales covering thousands of square miles on public lands in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming during the Trump and Obama administrations.
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