U.S. Department Of The Interior Revokes Important Energy Permits

Last week, the U.S. Department of Interior cancelled drilling rights for seven oil and gas leases sold to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, the state-owned economic development organization. The leases originally were approved by the Trump administration. The Biden administration also proposed to extend existing protections against drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, a 23-million-acre area that lies west of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on the Arctic Coast.

As Reuters reported, the actions are the latest effort by the Biden administration “to rein in oil and gas activities on public lands, part of a broader agenda to combat climate change.”

The announcements were a blow to the U.S. energy industry and, according to some Republican lawmakers, could erode U.S. energy security and independence.

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska, said, “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.”