Reuters reported this week the U.S. Department of Interior will open millions of acres for oil and gas exploration, including land in New Mexico and Oklahoma, to comply with a court order requiring it to resume lease auctions. President Biden paused drilling auctions after he took office in January pending an analysis of their impact on the environment and value to taxpayers – a review that continues. In June a federal judge in Louisiana ordered a resumption of auctions; he said the government is required by law to offer acreage to the oil and gas industry.
Officials from Department of Interior said Tuesday they plan to auction leases on more than 90 million acres in Gulf of Mexico with potential for an additional 700,000 acres in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Wyoming and six other states – most of that (560,000 acres) in Wyoming.