CHEYENNE (WNE) — Gov. Mark Gordon called the New Year’s Eve decision by the U.S. District Court of Wyoming in Wyoming v. Haaland “an important partial victory for Wyoming.”

The suit was brought in response to the Bureau of Land Management’s failure to conduct quarterly oil and gas lease sales where eligible lands are available as provided in The Mineral Leasing Act, according to a news release from Gordon’s office. The Biden administration did not hold lease sales for the second and third quarters in 2021 or in the third quarter in 2022.

“The Court clearly found that the BLM’s decision to not have the third quarter lease sale in 2022 arbitrary and capricious,” Gordon said in the release. “Unfortunately, the court did not rule the same way for the BLM’s failure to conduct lease sales in 2021.

“While it is encouraging the court ruled in favor of the State for the BLM’s lack of sales in Q3 2022, it is also baffling this thinking did not carry throughout the order to include 2021.

“Wyoming will examine its options for the upcoming remedy briefing and focus our efforts towards working with the pro-energy administration of President-elect Trump. I am optimistic future federal oil and gas lease sales will be meaningful, contain sufficient acreage, and be consistently held as required,” Gordon added.