Biden’s Leasing Moratorium Impedes Economic Recovery

Democrats in Congress and governor’s mansions are joining their GOP counterparts in voicing concern that President Joe Biden’s executive order imposing an indefinite ban on new federal natural gas and oil leases is detrimental to America’s economic recovery, with many local leaders going even further in warning that the mortarium will “defund schools” and cause “total devastation” to their local economies. Please see below for a round-up of commentary from Americans of both political parties and diverse geographical locations rebuking President Biden’s federal leasing moratorium because of the negative impacts it will have on jobs, our nation’s economic recovery, and important revenue streams vital for funding many local government programs, including education.

What They Are Saying About President Biden’s Leasing Moratorium

Politico Headline: “Democratic red flags waving around Biden’s climate agenda”

New Mexico’s Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said it is “crucia[l]” the administration develop a policy that “takes into account the individual circumstances and near-term financial reality of states like ours.”

Louisiana’s Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards said the state is “concerned about any moratorium that would affect the Gulf.”

Four Democratic Representatives from Texas – Vicente Gonzalez, Henry Cuellar, Lizzie Fletcher and Marc Veasey – warned Biden in a joint letter: “A federal ban for any period of time will certainly imperil hundreds of thousands of jobs, entire communities, and billions of dollars in royalty revenues to the Federal Treasury and eliminate funding for important conservation programs such as the Land and Water Conservation Fund.”

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy wrote in an op-ed that “millions of Americans who stand to benefit from inexpensive energy and the opportunity that accompanies responsible resource development are squarely in the crosshairs. The true tragedy is that the least fortunate among us will suffer the most.”

Senator Lisa Murkowski, in a joint release from Alaska’s congressional delegation, stated “Alaskans are already struggling to overcome the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Inhibiting Alaska’s resource development will only hamper our ability to recover. The oil and gas industry has been the backbone of our state. When this industry prospers, so do Alaskans.”

Wyoming’s Education State Superintendent said she “was taken aback by swift orders executed by the Biden Administration last week after months of rhetoric around bringing unity to our nation… A federal ban on oil and gas leases will defund schools.”

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon called the moratorium “disingenuous, disheartening and a crushing blow to the economies of many Western States,” and said “The lost jobs and revenue caused by this action inhibit Wyoming’s ability to invest in C02 capture and likewise the ability of the oil and gas industry to contribute to those projects.”

Louisiana’s Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson released a statement saying, “To say we are disgusted is an understatement…”

Greater Lafourche Port Commission’s executive director, “the President’s announcement of a federal permitting and leasing ban in the Gulf of Mexico will be the death knell of our community for years to come.”

Wyoming’s Campbell County Commission and Gillette City Mayor released a joint statement saying “Not only will this order threaten thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues, but it also sets an adversarial tone from an administration that promised to work with both blue and red states.”

A Commissioner in Wyoming’s Sublette County, Joel Bousman, said “We’re worried about total devastation of our economy in this county if this is truly an indication of the direction he wants to go. Which he has said it is.”

Wall Street Journal Editorial Board: “The oil and gas lease moratorium on federal lands that [President Biden] announced will erase thousands of blue-collar jobs—and billions of dollars in revenue that states use to fund education.”

A CBS affiliate in New Orleans summed up their segment on the moratorium in a tweet saying, “Biden’s energy policies getting slammed in Louisiana”

Wyoming’s Casper Star Tribune reported “The actions could have wide-ranging consequences for fossil fuel dependent states like Wyoming…. The state has come to deeply rely on oil and gas production for revenue, especially as money from coal production disappears… These payments fund the bulk of public education, infrastructure, local and state governments, and more.”

The CEO of New Mexico’s Chamber of Commerce said the moratorium will “shift revenue to private landowners in Texas and foreign countries like Saudi Arabia…This will not impact demand for oil. It was will just move where it comes from and who benefits. Production will move to areas with less climate and environmental controls as New Mexico.’

Lance Wilbanks, who runs a local trucking company in New Mexico, said the moratorium was “a gut punch to follow up the worst year we’ve had since the early 2000s.”