Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 1/24/22

The Biden administration has approved nearly 900 more permits to drill for oil and gas on public land in his first year in office than did the Trump administration, reports Pro Energy’s Ben Lefebvre.

By the numbers: Many of the 3,557 permits the Biden administration approved last year were in New Mexico, according to Interior Department data compiled by the Center for Biological Diversity. The Trump administration approved 2,658 permits, according to CBD’s count.

The nonprofit group blasted the Biden administration, saying the increase in drilling approval rates ran counter to its promise to cut U.S. methane emissions and the need to cease oil and gas consumption to fend off the worst effects of climate change.

Agency response: The Interior Department was legally required to process drilling permits, a department spokesperson said Friday.

The agency was in the process of strengthening environmental protection regulations in its leasing requirements and drilling permits, including factoring in the social cost of greenhouse gas emissions, the spokesperson added.