Biden admin quietly admits White House's 9,000 unused oil permits talking point is wrong

The Biden management softly updated a national database showing really galore unused oil and state drilling permits it has approved, reducing nan number by much than 2,000.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) revised nan existent number of approved applications for permits to drill (APD) — which lipid and state companies are required to record erstwhile they place a deposit connected a lease that tin beryllium tapped — down from an estimated 9,000 to little than 6,700. The BLM, a subagency of nan Department of nan Interior (DOI), blamed nan revision connected a Trump-era method alteration that it hadn't decently accounted for.

"As of February 2023, companies person complete 6,600 approved and unused drilling permits disposable connected national lands," nan BLM said successful a connection to Fox News Digital. "This number has been updated to relationship for a reporting discrepancy resulting from a modulation to a caller database successful mid-2020."

The alteration suggests that President Biden and management officials had overstated nan grade to which oil and state companies person neglected producing connected approved permits amid nan world power situation past year. 

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President Biden has many times cited nan truth that location were 9,000 unused lipid and state permits. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

In consequence to wide disapproval regarding nan administration's restrictions connected federal fossil substance leasing amid all-time-high gasoline prices, nan White House many times touted nan 9,000-permit fig and based on manufacture had nan expertise to instantly statesman producing.

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"Right now, nan lipid and state manufacture is sitting connected astir 9,000 unused but approved permits for accumulation connected national lands," Biden remarked successful March 2022. "Families can’t spend that companies beryllium connected these — their hands."

"By nan way, 1 point I want to opportunity astir nan lipid companies: They talk astir really we person — they person 9,000 permits to drill," he added months later. "They’re not drilling. Why aren’t they drilling?"

And arsenic precocious arsenic November, White House spokesperson John Kirby stated that location are "there are plentifulness of opportunities for lipid and state companies to drill present successful nan United States," citing nan 9,000-permit figure.

Oil accumulation connected national lands fell to 12.28 cardinal barrels per time successful November, nan latest period pinch data. Production peaked astatine 13 cardinal barrels a time nether nan Trump administration. (iStock)

"Despite nan administration’s inaccurate and misleading numbers, nan reality is that nan U.S. earthy state and lipid manufacture is confronting nan world power situation by continuing to activity to meet nan power needs of U.S. consumers and our friends abroad," Frank Macchiarola, nan American Petroleum Institute's elder vice president of policy, economics and regulatory affairs, told Fox News Digital.

"It is clip for nan management to extremity nan finger-pointing and alternatively support American accumulation pinch a broad strategy for American power improvement — 1 that includes a last five-year programme for offshore leasing and quarterly onshore lease sales," Macchiarola continued.

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Additionally, nan Biden management has dragged its feet connected lipid and state lease sales, only holding income erstwhile directed by either national courts aliases nan Inflation Reduction Act. The DOI has delayed issuing a congressionally five-year scheme for offshore drilling and is weighing a complete block connected specified leasing done 2028.

Oil accumulation connected national lands fell to 12.28 cardinal barrels per time successful November, nan latest period pinch data. Production peaked astatine 13 cardinal barrels a time nether nan Trump administration.

But a Biden management charismatic downplayed nan alteration Monday, saying nan number of unused lipid and state permits remains high.

"The grounds profits lipid companies made successful 2022 and nan thousands of approved but unused drilling permits they are sitting connected shows that location is thing getting successful nan measurement of expanding lipid accumulation isolated from Big Oil’s ain determination to chimney their profits into nan pockets of shareholders and executives," nan charismatic told Fox News Digital.