BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer, R-ND, member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, issued the following statement on North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley filing suit against the U.S. Department of the Interior for the Bureau of Land Management’s cancellation of quarterly oil and gas lease sales without notice or public input.
“Attorney General Wrigley is right to sue the Biden Administration for its illegal suspension of Mineral Leasing Act-required quarterly lease sales. The President’s executive orders and political whims on climate change do not trump the Bureau of Land Management’s statutory duties, especially when their hindrance equates to a regulatory taking from the State of North Dakota,” said Senator Cramer. “The Administration’s actions push production overseas, which impedes our state and local budgets, U.S. global competitiveness and national security, and environmental efforts. Those who benefit most from this energy policy are the countries from which we now needlessly import oil and gas. It’s illegal and incompetent and I applaud A.G. Wrigley for proactively taking the fight to the federal government on our state’s behalf.”
