ATLANTA, GA – Yesterday, Judge Terry Doughty in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against President Biden’s ban on oil and gas leases on federal lands. Attorney General Chris Carr joined 12 other state attorneys general in filing suit to block the Biden Administration's violation of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) and the Mineral Leasing Act (MLA), and the coalition is citing yesterday’s action as a major victory.

"We cannot allow this reckless abuse of Presidential power,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “We are pleased the Court granted preliminary relief, and we will continue working with our coalition to ensure the President’s Executive Order does not harm middle-class jobs, cripple our economy, negatively affect every day Americans or sequester investment funding for vital environmental defense and restoration projects.”

In January, President Biden issued Executive Order 14008 declaring a moratorium on future oil and gas leasing and drilling permits on federal lands. The Executive Order halted all oil and gas leasing operations, days after the Interior Department halted development and exploration of existing leases.

Read more about the coalition’s lawsuit.

In addition to Georgia, the following states joined in the lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.