July 15 (Reuters) - Scott Sheffield, the founder and

former CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources, cannot directly

challenge a Biden-era order barring him from ExxonMobil's ( XOM )

board after its acquisition of Pioneer, the Federal

Trade Commission said on Tuesday, while adding it would revisit

the order regardless.

While the FTC's three Republican commissioners voted

unanimously to deny Sheffield's bid on procedural grounds, the

agency plans to consider his arguments under a rule that lets

the commission reconsider prior decisions.

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson criticized the order last year,

which barred Sheffield from Exxon's board over concerns he would

coordinate with members of the Organization of the Petroleum

Exporting Countries. Ferguson, who was a commissioner at the

time, said the order overreached the FTC's authority. The FTC

was then led by Democratic Chair Lina Khan.

"I stand by my contention that the original decision

represented gross and unjust government overreach," Sheffield

said on Tuesday.

The FTC

has been reviewing

the order barring Sheffield from Exxon's board, along with

a similar order keeping Hess CEO John Hess off Chevron's ( CVX )

board after it announced plans to acquire his company.