On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden’s administration announced plans to open more than 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas exploration.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) expects a final announcement in September, “with an auction in the fall of this year,” the BOEM said.
In January, Biden had announced a moratorium on new drilling on federal land, as he wanted to put the climate crisis at the centre of his presidency. But in June, a Louisiana judge appointed by former President Donald Trump intervened to rule that the administration needed Congressional approval before his hiatus. So instead of going to Congress, the government has now decided to auction the rights to oil and gas exploration.
BOEM indicated that it had considered the findings in the recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its decision. However, the “detailed observations of a rapidly changing climate in every region of the world” mentioned therein were insufficient reasons, according to the BOEM, to “adjust the environmental impact of the drilling at this time”.
The government decision sparked strong criticism from environmental groups. And to quick action. Environmental groups led by Earthjustice immediately sued both the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland after announcing the auction’s resumption.
“In the wake of Hurricane Ida, it is clear that we must do everything we can to move away from fossil fuels to reduce the impacts of climate change,” said Cynthia Sarthou, executive director of Healthy Gulf.
“This auction is very disappointing,” said Earthjustice attorney Brettny Hardy. “The Biden administration has succumbed to the oil industry’s disinformation campaign and political pressure, ignoring the emergency situation we are facing.”