A Trump-appointed federal judge for the Western District of Louisiana has granted a preliminary injunction halting the Biden Administration’s pause on oil leases on public lands. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty’s injunction follows several lawsuits filed by states controlled by Republicans. But actually, the state that will suffer the most from the ban is Democratic-controlled New Mexico.
The vast majority of the money the state takes in because of oil.
If the ban ends upstanding, it will bankrupt New Mexico who will not even be able to finance its schools or most of the other government-supplied services in the state.
The judge did not rule on whether the ban would be legal or not. He issued the injunction until the case could be heard and a judgment rendered. The ban will kill innumerable jobs in several states. It could cost Texas 120,000 jobs alone.
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway told The Associated Press in January:
“During his inauguration, President Biden spoke about bringing our nation together. Eliminating drilling on public lands will cost thousands of New Mexicans their jobs and destroy what’s left of our state’s economy. How does that bring us together? Environmental efforts should be fair and well-researched, not knee-jerk mandates that just hurt an already impoverished state.”
An Interior Department spokesperson told The Hill:
“We are reviewing the judge’s opinion and will comply with the decision. The Interior Department continues to work on an interim report that will include initial findings on the state of the federal conventional energy programs, as well as outline next steps and recommendations for the Department and Congress to improve stewardship of public lands and waters, create jobs, and build a just and equitable energy future.”
The Ute Indian Tribe in Fort Duchesne, Utah also blasted the Biden Administration’s restrictions on federal energy development.
“Your order is a direct attack on our economy, sovereignty, and our right to self-determination. Indian lands are not federal public lands. Any action on our lands and interest can only be taken after effective tribal consultation,” Luke Duncan, Chairman of the Ute Indian Tribe Business Committee wrote in a letter to Acting Secretary of the Interior.
Mr. Duncan accused the Biden Administration of violating the US Treaty and trust responsibilities to the Ute Indian Tribe and violating the “important principles of tribal sovereignty and self-determination.”
