LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge issued a statement following the U.S. District Court’s decision to grant a nationwide preliminary injunction against President Biden’s Executive Order declaring a moratorium on future oil and gas leasing and drilling permits on federal lands.

“Today the courts confirmed that President Biden overreached and that his authority has limits,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Just looking at the cost of gasoline, it’s clear that President Biden’s unilateral action had real world consequences for the pocketbooks of average Arkansans. And I will not stand by and let President Biden harm Arkansans’ and Americans’ bottom line.”

The Biden Executive Order halted new oil and gas leasing operations on federal lands and offshore, and as the court explained, the administration did so without ever attempting to comply with the requirements of federal law. That failure to comply with the laws passed by Congress means that President Biden’s action was illegal.

The lawsuit was led by Louisiana and signed on to by Arkansas and the following states in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana: Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.