Biden plans to halt oil and gas leases in Nevada for 20 years, a move that comes weeks before Trump's inauguration.

The Biden administration is trying to impose last-minute restrictions on oil and gas drilling in the west before President-elect Trump's inauguration.

The Department of the Interior declared plans to impose a 20-year moratorium on oil and gas leases in 264,000 acres of Nevada's Ruby Mountains.

The Trump administration will review the proposal to withdraw acreage from potential leasing, which will result in a two-year ban on new mineral leases in the area. The proposal will undergo a 90-day public comment period.

"Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stated that the Ruby Mountains are a renowned landscape with exceptional recreation opportunities and valuable fish and wildlife habitat that must be preserved for future generations. He added that today's action acknowledges the voices of Tribal communities and conservation and sportsmen's groups and represents another significant step in safeguarding this cherished landscape."

The Biden administration's lease limitation does not prohibit mining in the region.

In Trump's first term, the Forest Service studied the possibility of leasing 54,000 acres in the Ruby Mountains for oil and gas drilling.

In 2019, the proposal was rejected after receiving thousands of comments from various regions opposing the idea during the public comment period, as stated by William Dunkelberger, the forest supervisor who made the decision.

In 2018, the LA Times reported that Jenna Padilla, the geologist for the Humboldt-Toiyabe Ruby Mountains ranger district at the time, stated that geological surveys revealed "low to no potential for oil" in the region.

The Biden administration's new proposal may hinder the Trump administration's potential leases in the region.