After a summer of sending a parade of cabinet members to tour Alaska, President Joe Biden today said he is canceling all of the oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s 1002 area, and also is shutting down development of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.
Area 1002 was set aside by Congress for oil and gas production. In 2020, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority bid on and was awarded land leases in the region, a lease that was part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2017.
As a candidate, Biden promised to shut down oil and gas production on federal lands, including ANWR and the NPR-A, which meant destroying high paying jobs Americans and Alaskan families and communities would benefit from.
Candidate Biden said that he is “completely totally opposed [to development] in ANWR. No more drilling on federal lands period!”
AIDEA said in a statement it will fight the Biden Administration.
“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,” AIDEA said in a press release.
“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,” the agency said.
AIDEA is owned by the State of Alaska and is run by a separate board of directors.
“The leases AIDEA hold in ANWR were legally issued in a sale mandated by Congress. It’s clear that President Biden needs a refresher on the Constitution’s separation of powers doctrine. Federal agencies don’t get to rewrite laws, and that is exactly what the Department of the Interior is trying to do here,” said Gov. Mike Dunleavy. “We will fight for Alaska’s right to develop its own resources and will be turning to the courts to correct the Biden Administration’s wrong.”
Rep. Mary Peltola put out a statement in opposition to Biden’s actions, although she was one of the first in Congress to endorse him for reelection and was rated the top conservation lawmaker by the League of Conservation Voters.
“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,” said Peltola, who is having a fundraiser in Juneau on Wednesday that features anti-Alaska-oil Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, who has long advocated for shutting down Alaska’s economy.
Sen. Dan Sullivan also spoke out against the decision: “Having just spent more than a month home in communities across our state, 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. This war on Alaska is devastating for not only Alaska but also the energy security of the nation. This unlawful cancellation of AIDEA’s ANWR leases today now brings us to 55 executive orders and actions specifically targeting Alaska since President Biden assumed office.”
Murkowski posted her objections, focusing on the shutdown of the NPR-A.
Deb Haaland, secretary of the Interior, said, in her announcement of the decision, “With climate change warming the Arctic more than twice as fast as the rest of the planet, we must do everything within our control to meet the highest standards of care to protect this fragile ecosystem. President Biden is delivering on the most ambitious climate and conservation agenda in history. The steps we are taking today further that commitment, based on the best available science and in recognition of the Indigenous Knowledge of the original stewards of this area, to safeguard our public lands for future generations.”
