The biggest fossil fuel industry trade group announced last week a legal challenge against the Biden administration’s five-year plan for oil and gas leasing, reports The Hill.
In its petition filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the American Petroleum Institute argues the 2024-2029 Gulf of Mexico leasing plan issued by the Biden administration “limit[s] access” to energy, despite federal law requiring the development of a five-year plan that “best meets” American energy needs.
The trade group specifically points to the five-year program calling for a maximum of three lease sales between 2025 and 2029, with 2024 set to be the first year in nearly 50 years without an offshore lease sale.
The Inflation Reduction Act requires the administration to lease at least 60 million acres for offshore gas and oil development on top of its offshore wind leases. Read more.
