Biden’s oil-and-gas crackdown backfires as energy crunch tightens

President Biden adamantly denies discouraging domestic oil-and-gas production, but his well-documented crackdown on fossil fuels in the name of climate change suggests otherwise.

The president’s moratorium on new fossil-fuel leasing on federal lands and waters was blocked by a federal judge in June. Even so, the administration has yet to hold a new onshore leasing sale, despite being required by law to conduct such auctions every quarter where eligible lands are available.

“Nothing is happening. The Biden leasing ban is still in effect,” said Western Energy Alliance President Kathleen Sgamma. “They have not offered one onshore...