Biden’s ban on oil and gas leases on federal lands a 'direct attack' on Wyoming, says governor

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Biden order banning oil and gas leases on federal lands a 'direct attack' on Wyoming: Gov. Gordon

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon argues Biden energy order is 'devastating' to schools, communities and small business in the state who depend on the energy sector.

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon called President Joe Biden’s executive order restricting the oil and gas industry a "direct attack" on Wyoming that will lead to a significant revenue loss for his state.

"Losing that revenue is devastating to our schools, devastating to our communities, devastating to those small businesses that really depend on the energy sector," Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, said Monday on "Fox & Friends," referring to Biden's move to stop oil and gas drilling on federal lands.

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Gordon has taken action against Biden’s order, signed January 20, with his own executive order, signed January 29.

"[Biden] signed executive order No. 13990 requiring the Secretary of the Interior to unilaterally stop all Federal leasing of oil and gas resources in Wyoming," Gordon’s order reads in part. "Such action will cause immediate and considerable harm to the state of Wyoming, including to the critical services upon which Wyoming residents depend."

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Gordon’s executive action directs Wyoming state agencies to examine the financial impacts of the president’s ban on new sales of federal oil and gas leases, as well as the potential legal options available to the state, the governor’s office said in a press release. Nearly half of the state’s surface and subsurface are federally owned, the release says.

"This Biden ban really has a devastating effect, not just for Wyoming," Gordon told Steve Doocy. "It’s bipartisan in its devastation."

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The Republican governor said that training workers to take on alternative jobs in the energy sector would not completely alleviate the financial impacts.

"There’s obviously this discussion about being able to train new workers with new jobs and new capacities, but it's not a one for one kind of thing," Gordon said.

Gordon also noted the impacts of the changing energy sector on communities in his state, such as Gillette, Wyo.

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"When you look at a place like Gillette, which has benefited from years over years of energy development, it’s really established itself as a pretty remarkable town," Gordon said. "And then you look at what happens with just sort of a big group of people coming to construct renewables and then leaving, it’s a little bit [of a] different impact on our communities."