Biden administration says will resume plans for federal oil and gas development

The Biden administration on Friday said it would resume plans for oil and gas development on federal lands following a court ruling this week that temporarily restored a measure meant to factor the cost of global warming into federal decision-making.

The announcement comes a month after the Interior Department said it would delay upcoming federal oil and gas lease sales because a Louisiana federal court judge blocked the administration from using its “social cost of carbon” value to factor the risks of climate change into decisions on permitting, investment and regulatory issues.

Earlier this week, a federal appeals court allowed the government to continue, temporarily, using the value.

“With this ruling, the department continues its planning for responsible oil and gas development on America’s public lands and waters,” Interior spokesperson Melissa Schwartz said in an emailed statement. She declined to say if the administration would resume oil and gas leasing auctions in the near term.

Before the February ruling, Interior’s Bureau of Land Management had been preparing to hold lease sales in several Western states.