GOP states, oil lobbying group sue White House over offshore drilling restrictions

The primary lobbying group representing the fossil fuel industry joined five Republican attorneys general Friday in a lawsuit challenging restrictions on offshore drilling announced in the waning days of the Biden administration.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) joined Mississippi, Alaska, Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia in suing over the restrictions, which closed off several million acres to new drilling.

The plaintiffs sued in the Western District of Louisiana, which previously granted an injunction in 2022 against one of President Biden’s first acts in the White House, a freeze on new gas and oil leasing on federal lands. All of the states involved in the Friday lawsuit were plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the leasing freeze as well.

“Today we’re taking action to reverse this politically motivated decision and ensure our nation’s vast offshore resources remain a critical source of affordable energy, government revenue and stability around the world,” API general counsel and Senior Vice President Ryan Meyers said in a statement. “As we move forward with a legal challenge, we continue to urge Congress and the incoming administration to use every tool at their disposal to restore a pro-American energy approach to federal leasing.”

President-elect Trump will almost certainly separately seek to undo the restrictions after his inauguration Monday, suggesting as much shortly after the Biden administration announced the move.

However, any move by the White House is likely to trigger a court fight with environmental advocacy groups, which won a similar fight after Trump sought to undo Obama-era restrictions in his first term. If the plaintiffs secure a favorable ruling in the Friday lawsuit, it may happen on a speedier timeline than Trump’s efforts to undo the restrictions.

The ban on new drilling was one of several moves by the Biden administration in its final weeks to secure environmental protections, including the establishment of a new national monument in California.

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