Biden Halt To New Oil, Gas Leases Not Permanent - Interior Secretary Nominee

The ban on new oil and natural gas leases on land owned by the US federal government by the Biden administration is a temporary pause to review the federal fossil fuel program and not a permanent prohibition, Interior Secretary nominee Deb Haaland said during her Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd February, 2021) The ban on new oil and natural gas leases on land owned by the US Federal government by the Biden administration is a temporary pause to review the federal fossil fuel program and not a permanent prohibition, Interior Secretary nominee Deb Haaland said during her Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

"I don't believe that it is a permanent ban," Haaland told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "It's my understanding that President Biden has put just a pause on new leases. He didn't ban new leases; he didn't put a moratorium on new leases. It's a pause to review the fossel [fuel] program."