Alaska filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the Biden administration’s December restrictions on Arctic oil and gas leases. The state alleges the Interior Department’s rules violate the 2017 tax reform law mandating lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The administration limited the sale to 400,000 acres, the smallest allowable under the law.
Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor argued the restrictions render development impractical and accused the administration of bypassing public input. The lawsuit seeks to overturn the restrictions and block the leases.
The Interior Department reported no bids for the lease sale before Monday’s deadline. A previous Trump-era sale raised $14.4 million, far short of the projected $2 billion. Critics, including Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis, urged focusing on existing undeveloped leases.
The administration’s decision follows its cancellation of earlier leases and contrasts with its approval of the Willow Project after lobbying by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).
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Great Article