The states, led by Louisiana and Texas, demand the Department of Energy overturn the pause, which was announced in January. They claim the administration’s decision overrode congressional authority.
“This ban disregards statutory mandates, flouts the normal regulatory process, upends the industry, disrupts Plaintiffs’ economies, and subverts our constitutional structure,” the suit reads. “These unlawful actions leave Plaintiffs with no choice but to once more turn to the courts to enforce the law.”
The suit claims that the decision comes at the whims of “activists” and is motivated by politics, adding that it comes “in the midst of an election year, and after a sustained pressure campaign from billionaire conglomerates, celebrities, ‘influencers,’ and banks.”
The Biden administration opted for a LNG pause in January amid pressure from environmentalists, pledging to review the nation’s investment in the fuel source. While advocates laud LNG as a cleaner alternative to coal, others note that the danger of pipeline leaks bring another set of risks to the energy source.
The fuel source has long been viewed as a bridge between coal and renewables, with the LNG push first urged by then-President Obama. President Biden’s permit ban marked a sharp turn from his predecessor.
Read more from our colleague Nick Robertson at TheHill.com.
