Vice President Kamala Harris faced criticism on social media after posting a Thanksgiving photo featuring her and her husband standing next to a gas stove, despite her administration's exploration of restricting gas stove use for environmental reasons. Commenters accused Harris of hypocrisy, with some pointing out the Biden administration's proposed guidelines to discourage gas stove use. However, not all commenters were outraged, with some expressing support for Harris.
A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of energy industry groups, ordering the Biden administration to proceed with a massive offshore oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico without environmental restrictions. The court upheld a lower court decision that struck down the government's late modification of the lease sale, which had added environmental restrictions and blocked off millions of acres. The ruling requires the administration to move forward with the original plan to offer 73.4 million acres for lease. The decision has been praised by industry groups, who argue that it will support energy independence and the Gulf Coast economy.
The Biden administration has indefinitely postponed a major oil and gas lease sale, Lease Sale 261, mandated by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) due to legal uncertainty. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) delayed the sale after adding last-minute environmental restrictions, which led to litigation from the fossil fuel industry and Louisiana. A preliminary injunction was granted to the plaintiffs, but the U.S. Court of Appeals allowed BOEM to delay the sale until November 8. The next arguments in the case are set for November 13. The delay has drawn criticism from industry groups, while bipartisan leaders have called for the sale to proceed without restrictions.
A federal court has granted a preliminary injunction to block the Biden administration's restrictions on an upcoming offshore oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico. The court ruled that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) must proceed with the lease sale under its original conditions, rejecting the administration's attempt to remove six million acres from the sale and impose restrictions on oil and gas vessels. The court criticized the administration's actions as a political reassessment of offshore drilling and a weaponization of the Endangered Species Act. Industry groups welcomed the decision, emphasizing the importance of the lease sale for energy security and economic growth.
