Biden Ban on Oil, Gas Leasing on U.S. Lands Challenged in Court

The Biden administration’s moratorium of oil and gas leasing on federal public land faced an immediate legal attack from an energy industry group.

Western Energy Alliance, which says it represents 200 oil and natural gas companies, said the administration’s suspension of leases is “unsupported and unnecessary,” and an overreach by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, according to a petition filed Wednesday in Wyoming federal court.

“Presidents don’t have authority to ban leasing on public lands,” Western Energy Alliance President Kathleen Sgamma said in a statement. “Drying up new leasing puts future development as well as existing projects at ...