The pressure is mounting against President Biden after he declared a moratorium on new oil and natural gas leases.
14 states are taking the president to court over his halting new oil and gas leases on public lands and waters. In January, Biden issued a series of actions via executive order aimed at curbing climate change. However, the attorneys general involved in the lawsuit call Biden’s actions an abuse of power. Many conservatives agree.
“We don’t have a king in this country, and the president is not able just to command things by executive fiat. Congress under the constitution sets policy for the country, and so the states were correct to sue to go to court,” Robert Henneke, with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, said.
Henneke says energy is just one example of this White House’s overreach. Others include Biden’s immigration, healthcare, and COVID-19 policies. Henneke believes if the moratorium is allowed, it will hurt communities who rely on oil and gas drilling.
“The more difficult it becomes to produce fossil fuels that are essential for quality of life, it’s going to make it more expensive. It won’t just be your energy bill. Nearly every service that you have will become more expensive,” Henneke added.