Court Vacates Biden’s Cancellation of Arctic Refuge Oil Leases

A judge in Alaska on Tuesday vacated the Biden administration’s decision to terminate seven oil and gas leases within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that were purchased by a state agency.

The Interior Department during the Biden administration failed to obtain a court order before canceling the leases that the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority purchased within the refuge in 2021 in the final days of the first Trump administration, Judge Sharon L. Gleason of the US District Court for the District of Alaska ruled.

“DOI’s error is serious: DOI cancelled AIDEA’s leases without following the congressionally-mandated procedure for ...