"The Biden administration today [Friday] said it will consider the contribution to greenhouse gas emissions made by oil and gas produced on public lands before selling federal drilling rights.
It also released a report calculating the annual emissions impact and climate trends from development of the coal, oil and natural gas on the federal mineral estate.
The report estimates that federally developed fossil fuels in fiscal 2020 were responsible for more than 900 metric megatons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.
The federal oil program has been politically divisive for the climate-focused White House. Last summer, a federal judge ordered the administration to restart national oil and gas lease auctions that President Biden had paused shortly after taking office to review their climate impacts (Energywire, Aug. 25). "