California is increasing its efforts to keep the federal government from allowing oil and gas drilling on more than 1 million acres of public land.
The state is suing to block the Trump administration from issuing new permits in the central part of the state.
The federal lawsuit follows a new state law also intended to counter Trump administration plans to increase oil and gas production on protected public land.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra says the permits would allow the controversial extraction method known as fracking.
Newsom in October signed a law barring pipelines or other oil and gas infrastructure to be built on state property.
