Major U.S. oil industry groups on Monday sued the Biden administration for halting drilling auctions on federal lands and waters this year, arguing the government is required by law to hold regular sales. The American Petroleum Institute (API) and 11 other groups filed the lawsuit in federal court in the Western District of Louisiana. It seeks to compel the U.S. Department of Interior to reinstate the lease sales, calling the length of the stoppage “unprecedented.” During his campaign, President Joe Biden promised to stop issuing new leases to oil and gas companies as part of an ambitious agenda to combat climate change and move the country off of fossil fuel use by 2050. His administration paused drilling auctions in January pending a review of the program’s environmental impacts and value to taxpayers. Since then, the administration has been sued by oil-producing states and industry groups […]