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BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — A North Dakota District Court has ordered the federal Bureau of Land Management to resume quarterly oil and gas lease sales in the state that had been previously cancelled.
“The Court’s order directs BLM to comply with federal law and do what Congress commanded BLM to do,” said North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley, stating that it was “unfortunate that North Dakota had to take BLM to court twice to finally get it to do its duty.”
The dispute started in 2021 when President Biden issued an Executive Order “pausing” the quarterly oil and lease sales as required by the Mineral Leasing Act. In speeches after ordering the pause, President Biden claimed, there would be “no more drilling.”
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Wrigley praised yesterday’s decision as a “victory for the rule of law,” and claimed the sales cancellations in North Dakota alone were costing the state $100 million in annual revenues, as well as depriving the nation of access to oil and gas during a time of inflation and energy security threats.
The case is State of North Dakota vs. United States Department of Interior et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-00148-DMT-CRH.
