Biden-Harris Administration by Marianne Kah |April 15, 2021 Natural gas flaring in a West Texas oil field. Photo: Jonathan Cutrer On January 27, President Biden issued an executive order that put a moratorium on oil and natural gas leasing in federal lands and water while his administration undertakes a comprehensive review and reconsideration of federal oil and gas permitting and leasing practices. The Department of Interior is seeking written comments from a variety of stakeholders by April 15. This blog post provides a variety of recommendations regarding changes that should be made to the federal oil and gas leasing program, including strategies to reduce flaring and methane emissions, increase royalties, and plug abandoned wells.