The Biden administration on Tuesday said it would take steps to restart the federal oil and gas leasing program in the next week and planned to hold a Gulf of Mexico auction later this year, according to court papers.
The move comes two months after the administration first said it would comply with a federal judge’s order blocking its months-long pause in oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters.
In a filing to a Louisiana federal district court, the administration said the Interior Department would take procedural steps to hold a sale of oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico by the end of this month. The auction itself is expected in October or November.
Regarding onshore leasing, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management will post a list of parcels for potential sale within the next week, followed by a public comment period that will result in sale notices published in December, the court documents said.