The Biden administration on Tuesday suspended oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, reversing a drilling programme approved by the Trump administration, while also reviving a political fight over a remote region in Alaska that is home to polar bears and other wildlife, and also a rich reserve of oil.
The order by Interior Secretary, Deb Haaland, follows a hiatus on oil and gas lease activities after Biden signed an executive order on his first day in office, suggesting a new environmental review was needed to address possible legal flaws in a drilling programme approved by the Trump administration in 2017.
Environmental groups and Democrats cheered the news, while Alaska’s all-Republican congressional delegation slammed it as misguided and illegal.
The 19.6 million-acre refuge is home to many endangered animal species, such as polar bears, snowy owls, caribou, and many other wildlife, including migrating birds from six continents. Republicans and the oil industry have long been trying to open up the oil –rich refuge. The Republicans' move is considered a declaration of war by environmental organisations, and they planned to fight it via lawsuits.
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