US court cancels major sale of oil, gas exploration leases for Biden
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A coalition of US environmentalist groups has filed a lawsuit to prevent the sales of oil and gas exploration leases for President Joe Biden's administration.
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A coalition of environmentalist groups sued to prevent the sales.
A US judge canceled Thursday the sale of oil and gas exploration leases of some 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico after environmental groups sued President Joe Biden's administration citing major concerns.
Federal District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras declared existing contracts invalid, saying the Department of the Interior did not adequately consider the leases' impact on climate change upon issuing them.
According to the ruling, officials had used outdated analyses to calculate the leases' effects on the environment and said the government must run a new analysis with current data.
The administration had in August announced its intention to sell the rights to the Gulf exploration, a decision decried by environmental activists and seen as a stumbling block for President Joe Biden's climate agenda.
A coalition of environmentalist groups sued to prevent the sales.
In a statement, Brettny Hardy, a lawyer for climate group Earthjustice, which represents the coalition, expressed that the coalition is "pleased that the court invalidated Interior's illegal lease sale."
"We simply cannot continue to make investments in the fossil fuel industry to the peril of our communities and increasingly warming planet," she added.
The Gulf of Mexico, located along the southeastern US, is one of the most important oil-producing regions in the country.
