Attorney General Ken Paxton has initiated legal action against the Biden Administration, challenging a recent decision on offshore drilling. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas Lufkin Division, also includes W&T Offshore, Inc. as a plaintiff.
The dispute arises from President Joe Biden's attempt on January 6 to indefinitely extend restrictions on certain offshore drilling sites under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. According to Paxton, this move exceeds presidential authority and violates federal law by attempting to permanently halt economic development in these areas without limitation.
Paxton's lawsuit seeks to block these withdrawals from taking effect. This marks the 106th lawsuit he has filed against the Biden Administration, citing frequent constitutional violations. He claims a high success rate in these legal challenges.
"In 2021, I became the first State Attorney General to sue Biden just three days into his failed administration. Now, I will be the last AG to sue Biden on his way out of Washington," said Attorney General Paxton. "The past four years saw the repeated, intentional effort by Biden and his deep state cronies to subvert our laws, destabilize our nation, and undermine our freedoms. I worked tirelessly to stop these attempts and won time and time again. Soon, when President Trump takes the oath of office, we can begin to undo the damage done."