President Joe Biden's administration is tabling seven oil and gas leases in an Alaskan wildlife refuge approved during the Trump administration after outcry from environmental activists.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland had announced in June 2021 that the controversial Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority leases for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would be reviewed.
The leases were temporarily suspended at the time but have now reached the end of a long-term process toward their permanent cancellation.
"On day one of this administration, President Biden directed us to look at the oil and gas leases sold in the refuge by the previous administration," Haaland told reporters Wednesday, according to The Hill. "What we have found in our analysis is that the lease sale itself was seriously flawed and based on a number of fundamental legal deficiencies."
Haaland also said the administration proposed a rule to provide "maximum protection" for approximately 13 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve that serve as migratory patterns for protected species.
If approved, 10.6 million acres — over 40% of the reserve — would be cut off from any new leasing.
"The steps we are taking today further that commitment, based on the best available science and in recognition of the Indigenous Knowledge of the original stewards of this area, to safeguard our public lands for future generations," Haaland said in a press release.
The move serves as a way to appease environmental activists who have taken issue with the administration's approval of the massive ConocoPhillips Willow Project on the NPRA's North Slope.
NPR noted that a scaled-down version of the ConocoPhillips proposal was approved in March. The finished project has the potential to produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day, according to the company.
Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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