Lease of Gulf waters delayed by whale protection debate must continue, court rules

By KEVIN McGILL
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court has ordered the Biden administration to carry on with an auction of oil and gas drilling leases for Gulf of Mexico waters in 37 days — rejecting arguments by environmentalists. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling means the lease sale, once set for September, will be held in December. The administration had scaled back the areas covered by the lease sale as part of an agreement to protect the endangered Rice’s whale. But a federal judge ordered that the full sale, covering 73 million acres, be conducted. The appeals court upheld the judge Tuesday.