LAKE CHARLES — A federal judge says President Joe Biden went too far when he declared parts of the Outer Continental Shelf off-limits to potential oil and gas leasing for an indefinite period.

One of his Jan. 6, 2025, orders concerned leasing off the coast of Alaska while a separate one covered areas off the East Coast, West Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. A number of states plus the American Petroleum Institute and the Gulf Energy Alliance sued in Lake Charles federal court on Jan. 17.

After President Donald Trump rescinded Biden's order after taking office (and renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America), several environmental groups filed their own challenge. For their part, industry representatives said they should have had an opportunity to weigh in before Biden issued his

See Full Page