When is Not Leasing Not a Ban: The leasing ban “is still in place” according to Sec. Haaland

In a hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on July 27th, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland faced basic questions on when the Department of the Interior (DOI) will:
 

• Comply with an order from a Louisiana federal judge who ordered a halt to President Biden’s ban on new oil and natural gas lease sales, and
• Release a report on how DOI will conduct a comprehensive review of the entire federal oil and natural gas program, as ordered six months prior by the president.

 
The secretary’s responses were not as forthcoming nor as informative as lawmakers would have liked. The exchange between Sec. Haaland and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) is illustrative of the confusion.

Sen. Hyde-Smith: Does this report bring the department into compliance with current law?
 
Sec. Haaland: We are actually in compliance with the court order. Currently, we are complying with the court order right now as we speak the Department is working, as I mentioned, there’s a lot of work going into even having a lease sale, and so they are complying with the court order now, today.
 
Sen. Hyde-Smith: So, the ban has been released?
 
Haaland: I suppose that the pause you’re referring to that President Biden ordered in his Executive Order, I suppose it’s in effect. You can say that as soon as, you know, one lease sale happens that the pause is over. But what I can say is we’re complying with the court order and we’re doing the work necessary to move in that direction.
 
Sen. Hyde-Smith: So the pause is not in place at this time?
 
Haaland: Well, technically, I guess you can say the pause is still in place. However, we are complying with the court order, to move forward on releasing the report, and moving this issue forward.

So Interior is complying with the judge’s order and the leasing ban is still in effect? At least Sec. Haaland has basically acknowledged that Interior is not currently complying with the judge’s order to end the ban on leasing. Without a plan on how Interior is going to conduct the comprehensive review and no lease sales in sight, the confusion continues. ​

Author

Aaron M. Johnson, Vice President of Public Affairs