so what's the hold up? corporate $$??

1/'21-

Oil companies lock in drilling, challenging Biden on climate change...

In the closing months of the Trump administration, energy companies stockpiled enough drilling permits for western public lands to keep pumping oil for years and undercut President-elect Joe Biden’s plans to curb new drilling because of climate change, according to public records and industry analysts. 3,000+ drilling permit applications in a three-month period....Bureau of Land Management. Officials approved almost 1,400 drilling applications during that time. The administration issued more than 4,700 drilling permits in 2020 (lotta info here) https://www.abqjournal.com/1534860/oil-companies-lock-in-drilling-challenging-biden-on-climate.html

President Biden claimed that there are 9,000 unused oil drilling permits. That’s mostly true...Thousands of unused permits are not uncommon in any presidential administration..

Some companies choose not to drill for corporate reasons — because they can raise funds from investors by not drilling on leases with proven reserves.... https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2022/biden-9000-unused-oil-drill-permits/