Pause on leasing public land for oil and gas extraction draws mixed reaction

PHOENIX-Land, and specifically what to do with land, has been among the most divisive topics in U.S. history since the arrival of European settlers. More than 500 years later, little has changed.

On Jan. 20, the Biden administration ordered a 60-day pause on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters after environmental activists sent a letter urging the administration to issue a permanent ban rather than a temporary one.

The order prompted an array of reactions, with some environmentalists hailing it as an important incremental step and others dismissing it as a toothless attempt to f...