Is it true that Biden has allowed the fewest new federal drilling leases since Truman? Sort of. It’s misleading for Pendley to say that. Sales, yes. Permits, no. Federal data show the Biden administration approved 6,430 permits for oil and gas drilling on public lands in its first two years, outpacing the Trump administration’s 6,172 drilling-permit approvals in its first two years. [Source]

Evidence shows that Biden has simply been honoring commitments Trump made prior to Biden’s taking office:

“Recent claims suggesting that the Biden administration has granted 50 percent more oil and gas drilling permits on federal land compared to the Trump administration have been circulating in the media – and while that data is accurate, it’s a lot more complex. A closer look at the 2023 data reveals that many of the permits approved by the Biden administration were granted on land that was leased during the Trump administration. The Biden administration, on the other hand, has held the absolute minimum lease sales possible.” [Source]

That, and Congress tied his hands:

“Administration officials said they couldn’t go further because of provisions Congress approved last year that require offshore oil leasing in order for Interior to do offshore wind leasing. A maximum of three sales — one each planned for 2025, 2027 and 2029 — are the fewest the Interior Department said it could do under the law and keep expanding its offshore wind program as it intended through 2030.” [Source]

Worth noting also is that U.S. Energy Independence set a new record under Biden.

Full contextual analysis of Section 3.7: Department of the Interior here.