A federal judge has ordered the U.S. government to resume oil and gas lease sales on federal lands in North Dakota, even as a legal battle continues over the Biden administration's decision to pause the leasing program two years ago in an effort to combat climate change.
Hailing the ruling as a victory, North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said the canceled lease sales have cost North Dakota over $100 million in revenue each year and deprived the nation of “much-needed access to oil and gas during these difficult times of high inflation and threats to our energy security,” the Bismarck Tribune reported.
