US to auction off massive Gulf of Mexico oil drilling rights.

The Biden administration is auctioning off more than 73 million acres of waters in the Gulf of Mexico to offshore oil and gas drilling, weeks after approving the controversial Willow oil drilling project in Alaska. Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit to try to stop the lease sale, saying Interior’s environmental analysis is flawed. Of the 73 million acres offered, companies signaled interest in bidding on 1.6 million acres. Another sale is scheduled for September.