Biden Administration Halts Oil, Gas Drilling In Alaska
As The Wall Street Journal reported last week, the Biden administration suspended oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska until it completes a review under the National Environmental Policy Act. The leases were allowed by the Trump administration.
Coming from the U.S. Department of the Interior, the decision would undo nearly a dozen leases Republicans and Democrats have battled over for decades, and this latest step is likely to trigger a legal fight. U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said a review of former President Donald Trump’s leasing program in the wildlife refuge uncovered “multiple legal deficiencies,” such as “insufficient analysis” required under environmental laws.
Secretary Haaland ordered a temporary moratorium pending “a new, comprehensive analysis of the potential environmental impacts of the oil and gas program.”
As a reminder, President Biden also has paused new federal oil and gas leases and promised to sharply cut greenhouse gas emissions. This most recent move could pave the way to the leases being voided altogether in the 19-million-acre portion of Alaska’s wilderness.