Alaska Asks Court to Toss Interior Arctic Refuge Lease Sale Plan

The state of Alaska asked a federal court to enjoin any oil and gas leases to be sold in Friday’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge drilling rights auction and declare the Biden administration’s plan to hold the sale illegal.

Alaska sued the Interior Department Monday in the US District Court for the District of Alaska, asking the court to review Biden’s lease sale plans and claiming that they violate the 2017 Tax Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act.

The suit is the second to challenge the final decision for ...