BATON ROUGE — Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is spearheading a multi-state coalition in a federal lawsuit against President Joe Biden’s controversial ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling, calling it an unlawful overreach that threatens to cripple American energy independence and the economy.
The legal challenge targets two memoranda issued by Biden on Jan. 6, just two weeks before Inauguration Day.
The memoranda would withdraw more than 500 million acres of offshore waters — stretching from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico — from oil and natural gas leasing under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.
Critics argue this move undermines OCSLA’s purpose of facilitating offshore energy development, with Murrill labeling the action “blatantly illegal.”
“Promises made, promises kept," Murrill said in a provided statement. "I promised – and today I filed – a federal lawsuit challenging Joe Biden’s unlawful drilling ban."
Murrill said the memoranda would be detrimental to the livelihood of Lousisiana's energy sector.
"If upheld, it would dramatically harm our economy and livelihood," she said. "I will always defend Louisiana and American energy."
The lawsuit, was was filed in the United States District Court Western District of Louisiana, asserts that Biden exceeded his constitutional authority with these memoranda.
Murrill’s legal team argues that only Congress, under the Constitution’s Property Clause, has the power to regulate public lands.
The suit also cites the U.S. Supreme Court’s prohibition against transferring legislative power to the executive branch without clear and defined standards, asserting that OCSLA does not give presidents carte blanche to restrict oil and gas leasing.
Murrill and her allies maintain that withdrawing such a massive swath of acreage from energy leasing constitutes a “major question” of economic and legal significance.
Under the major questions doctrine, actions of this magnitude require explicit congressional authorization, which Murrill contends is absent.
In joining the suit, attorneys general from Alaska, Mississippi, Georgia and Alabama echoed Murrill’s concerns about the ban’s sweeping implications for American energy production, jobs, and economic stability.
If successful, the lawsuit would declare Biden’s withdrawal memos unlawful and prevent their enforcement.
"We are taking a stand to protect not only Louisiana but all Americans from unnecessary energy disruptions caused by this overreach," Murrill said.
Murrill has also joined a separate legal challenge against the Biden Administration’s efforts to impose restrictions on consumer appliances, including tankless water heaters.
In collaboration with Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and a coalition of states, Murrill opposes what she calls the administration’s “irrational attacks” on household conveniences.
"For the past four years, President Biden and his bureaucrats in D.C. have pushed to control every aspect of our daily lives," Murrill said. "Now, he’s coming for your water heaters just days before President Trump and his administration take office."
That lawsuit, led by Tennessee, Georgia and Kansas, seeks to halt what critics describe as an overreach targeting consumers and families.
Murrill said she would continue standing up against federal regulations that she says harm everyday Americans,
"We will not allow D.C. to dictate how families live their lives," Murrill said.