Environmental groups took the Biden administration to court over its approval of more than 3,500 federal land drilling permits in New Mexico and Wyoming, arguing their use will damage ecosystems and threaten “climate-imperiled” species.
The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in a Washington, D.C., federal court, asks the court to find that the Bureau of Land Management violated the National Environmental Policy Act and other laws in approving the permits and to vacate them. The lawsuit represents the latest legal feud between the Biden administration and environmental groups, which have been displeased with the slow pace of progress and perceived backtracking on Biden’s green agenda.
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“BLM has failed to assess or acknowledge the contribution of its [applications for permits to drill] approvals and its fossil fuel program to environmental injustices associated with GHG emissions and climate change,” said the complaint, which was led by the Center for Biological Diversity and New Mexico-based group WildEarth Guardians.
Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said separately the approvals will result in increased greenhouse gas emissions and bring “polar bears and many other species one step closer to extinction.”
President Joe Biden pledged to oversee an end to new drilling on federal lands and waters during his presidential campaign but hasn’t made much measurable progress.
Biden ordered a pause on all new oil and gas leasing on federal lands during his first week in office, but a federal court enjoined the pause and said the government is required to carry out lease sales. The administration is appealing the ruling and has since scheduled and carried out lease sales.
Biden’s pause on new leasing notably didn’t affect the approval of drilling permits, which are granted to serve existing leases.
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The Bureau of Land Management approved hundreds of permit applications during Biden’s first months in office and continues to do so. Some Biden administration officials have pointed to the high rate to counter criticisms from Republicans and industry players who criticize the administration’s environmental policies.
