The U.S. Department of the Interior canceled oil and gas leases for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and proposed new regulations to protect 13 million acres of land.

On Wednesday, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland authorized the cancellation of seven oil and gas leases that had been issued during the Trump administration's last days in office in early 2021.

What You Need To Know

  • The U.S. Department of the Interior canceled oil and gas leases for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

  • It also proposed new regulations to protect 13 million acres of land in the Arctic Refuge

  • During the last days of the Trump administration, ten-year oil and gas leases were issued for more than 430,000 acres in the area

  • The U.S. Department of the Interior had suspended the leases in June 2021 for "legal deficiencies"

“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,” Secretary Haaland said in a statement.

Wednesday’s announcement is the culmination of an executive order President Biden signed on his second day in office, just two weeks after the Trump administration had issued ten-year leases on nine tracts covering more than 430,000 acres. Biden’s order directed the Interior Department to review oil and gas leasing in the Arctic Refuge, leading two lessees to cancel their leases and the remaining seven to be suspended for “legal deficiencies” in June 2021, the department said.

According to a draft supplemental environmental impact statement released Wednesday by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the nine leases issued during the Trump Administration weren’t sufficiently analyzed under the National Environmental Policy Act. Specifically, the lease sale failed to analyze alternatives, to quantify downstream greenhouse gas emissions and to properly interpret the Tax Act, the agencies said.

In addition to announcing the lease cancelations, the Interior Department also proposed a rule that would protect 13 million acres in the region by limiting future oil and gas leases and industrial development. The proposed rule includes a ban on new leasing for 10.6 million of those acres.

The Department said more than 40 Indigenous communities subsist off caribou, fish and other wildlife they harvest in the National Petroleum Reserve area.

“Alaska is home to many of America’s most breathtaking natural wonders and culturally significant areas,” President Joe Biden said in a statement following the Department of Interior announcement. “We have a responsibility to protect this treasured region for all ages.”

He added that canceling the oil and gas leases for the Arctic Refuge will “help preserve our Arctic lands and wildlife while honoring the culture, history and enduring wisdom of Alaska Natives who have lived on these lands since time immemorial.”