In a recent setback for the Biden administration, a federal judge has blocked the president's attempt to limit oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. District Judge James Cain of the Western District of Louisiana granted a preliminary injunction, halting the administration's last-minute effort to halt an upcoming offshore lease sale in the Gulf.

The request to block Lease Sale 261 came from plaintiffs including the State of Louisiana, the American Petroleum Institute (API), Chevron, and Shell. The judge determined that the lease sale must proceed by September 30 under its original terms.

Earlier, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) excluded around six million acres from the sale and imposed several restrictions on oil and gas vessels linked to the auctioned leases.

These measures were intended to protect Rice's whale, a species residing in certain areas of the Gulf. However, the court observed that the plaintiffs demonstrated significant potential costs resulting from these provisions, particularly the vessel restrictions. These costs could burden their current and planned operations on the leases.

Judge Cain also questioned the Biden administration's motives, describing their actions as an attempt to provide scientific justification for a political reassessment of offshore drilling.

In a recent setback for the Biden administration, a federal judge has blocked the president's attempt to limit oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. District Judge James Cain of the Western District of Louisiana granted a preliminary injunction, halting the administration's last-minute effort to halt an upcoming offshore lease sale in the Gulf.
The request to block Lease Sale 261 came from plaintiffs including the State of Louisiana, the American Petroleum Institute (API), Chevron, and Shell. The judge determined that the lease sale must proceed by September 30 under its original terms.
Earlier, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) excluded around six million acres from the sale and imposed several restrictions on oil and gas vessels linked to the auctioned leases.
These measures were intended to protect Rice's whale, a species residing in certain areas of the Gulf. However, the court observed that the plaintiffs demonstrated significant potential costs resulting from these provisions, particularly the vessel restrictions. These costs could burden their current and planned operations on the leases.
Judge Cain also questioned the Biden administration's motives, describing their actions as an attempt to provide scientific justification for a political reassessment of offshore drilling.

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