GOM - US appeals court blocks Gulf of Mexico sale expansion pending appeal
Oct 26 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Thursday temporarily paused a federal judge's order last month that had required the Biden administration to expand a planned offshore oil and gas auction in the Gulf of Mexico by 6 million acres.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit stayed the September decision pending an appeal, according to a court document.
The order was the latest in a legal fight over federal protection of an endangered species of whale. The oil and gas industry and the state of Louisiana sued the Interior Department in August over its decision to scale back the auction to reduce conflicts with Rice's whale habitat.
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The Gulf of Mexico sale was originally scheduled for last month, but the appeals court on Sept. 25 allowed the Interior Department to delay it to incorporate the additional acreage and other revised sale terms. It was later rescheduled to Nov. 8.
An Interior Department spokesperson did not immediately have any comment on the ruling.
The American Petroleum Institute, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, was not immediately available for comment.
Reporting by Nichola Groom; editing by Jonathan Oatis
