Biden to Cancel Alaska Oil, Gas Leases Issued Under Trump

President Joe Biden’s Interior Department said it would cancel the oil and gas leases issued in the latter days of President Donald Trump’s administration.

Biden has said he would move to protect roughly 19.6 million acres in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for polar bears and caribou.

“As the climate crisis warms the Arctic more than twice as fast as the rest of the world, we have a responsibility to protect this treasured region for all ages,” Biden said in a written statement.

Trump issued the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) seven leases right before Biden’s inauguration. The move is part of a larger strategy by which Biden has moved to cancel oil and gas exploration on public lands.

AIDEA said it would challenge the move.

“This latest action by the Department of the Interior shows arbitrary disregard for Federal law, based on campaign trail rhetoric. Campaign promises are not enough to justify this agency action,” AIDEA said in a statement.

Republicans slammed Biden’s move to develop oil and gas in Alaska.

“There is palpable anger and frustration among Alaskans about the Biden administration’s unrelenting assault on our economy and our ability to lawfully access our lands,” Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) said in a statement.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) said in a written statement, “Not only will this cause our nation to continue relying on dirty oil from foreign adversaries, it will also keep prices high at the pump which the American people cannot afford.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said in a statement:

Now the Biden Administration, at a time when America and our allies need Alaska’s resources more than ever, has decided to go their own way by further locking Alaska down while refusing to consult with the Alaska Natives who actually live on the North Slope. It’s bad enough to tear up legal contracts and renege on federal commitments. But it’s even more unconscionable that the Biden administration is penalizing Alaska right as it allows Iran to produce more of its oil and solicits the same from Venezuela. It’s not hard to predict what will happen as they allow the world’s worst actors to enrich themselves, while punishing Alaska. Fewer jobs at home, more imports for California, and higher prices for everyone. These decisions are illegal, reckless, defy all common sense, and are the latest signs of an incoherent energy policy from President Biden.

Rep. Mary Peltola (R-AK) said:

I am deeply frustrated by the reversal of these leases in ANWR. This administration showed that it is capable of listening to Alaskans with the approval of the Willow Project, and it is some of those same Inupiat North Slope communities who are the ones that are most impacted by this decision. I will continue to advocate for them and for Alaska’s ability to explore and develop our natural resources, from the critical minerals we need for our clean energy transition to the domestic oil and gas we need to get us there. We can only get to that transition by listening to the people on the ground. Finally, we can’t keep erasing our progress with every administration. I will continue to advocate for permitting reform that includes predictable timelines from the federal government, which must be a reliable partner in leasing and developing our resources.

Randy Ruaro, the executive director of AIDEA, said:

This latest action by the Department of the Interior shows arbitrary disregard for Federal law, based on campaign trail rhetoric. Campaign promises are not enough to justify this agency action. Under the law, Interior must present real facts and reasons that support this reversal in position. Interior’s action leaves AIDEA one choice, we have to go to court to protect our rights in the ANWR leases.

“This time, we will ask the court to allow us to conduct discovery that could include taking the deposition of Biden’s messenger, Secretary Haaland and possibly other administration officials involved so the real motives are made public,” Ruaro added.