Biden Halts Arctic Oil Leases in Alaska

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it will discontinue all drilling activities at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• According to an environmental review signed by the Interior Department, the leases had “multiple legal deficiencies.”
• President Joe Biden expressed his opposition against drilling at the refuge because of its environmental impact.

The White House announced on Tuesday that it would halt the Trump administration’s dubious leases for drilling at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

According to a statement from an Interior Department, the leases will be suspended following an environmental assessment. The review will conclude if the leases should be nullified, continued or would need further actions to mitigate its environmental hazard.

Based on a record supporting the leases, a departmental review discovered “multiple legal deficiencies.” The document was signed by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on Tuesday.

The assessment found a lackluster environmental planning which included “failure to adequately analyze a reasonable range of alternatives” before commencing an environmental evaluation and failure to comprehend the law about lease sales authorization.

According to National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, the reversal was an “important step forward fulfilling President Biden’s promise to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.”

“President Biden believes America’s national treasures are cultural and economic cornerstones of our country and he is grateful for the prompt action by the Department of the Interior to suspend all leasing pending a review of decisions made in the last administration’s final days that could have changes the character of this special place forever,” she said.

As part of his Day One executive order, President Joe Biden directed the Interior Department to suspend all ongoing activities with regard to ANWR’s oil and gas leases. It referred to “alleged legal deficiencies underlying the program, including the inadequacy of the environmental review.”

During the election campaign, Biden said that he would object to the drilling scheme as he vowed to “permanently” safeguard the refuge which nestles wild animals like grizzly bears, polar bears, gray wolves, among many others.

In 2017, though, a law was enacted mandating the federal government to host two least sales, allowing drilling at the refuge. The first would be by the end of this year and the second would be by 2024.

Before Biden assumed office, the Trump administration already facilitated the first part of the lease. The sales only registered a small interest compared to the projection of the lobbyists.

For the drilling supporters, the project would yield new jobs and earn revenues, while for critics, the move would have environmental and wildlife consequences.

Source: The Hill