Biden-Harris Administration Takes Actions to Protect More Arctic Land
Alaskan oil and gas leases canceled, new protections proposed
Image: Reimar, Adobe Stock
This week, the Biden-Harris administration took two more actions to protect Arctic land and wildlife. First, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland authorized the cancellation of the remaining seven oil and gas leases issued by the Trump administration in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic, an organization representing the people and land of the region’s Inupiat people, has not issued a public statement regarding the cancellations but strongly advocate against oil drilling in Alaska. In a recent Instagram post, the organization shared, “Together, we maintain opposition against oil and gas development in the #WesternArctic that further fuels the #ClimateCrisis.”
The Biden-Harris administration also proposed a rule to limit future oil and gas leasing and industrial development in 13 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A), which includes Teshekpuk Lake, Utukok Uplands, Colville River, Kasegaluk Lagoon, and Peard Bay Special Areas. The rule would prohibit new leasing in 10.6 million acres, which accounts for 40 percent of the NPR-A. However, the rule would not cancel existing leases, including the controversial Willow Project.
Some U.S. senators have decried the actions. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, states, “I can’t explain to the American people why we would willingly become more dependent on foreign oil imports, eliminate good paying American jobs and drive up the cost of our electric bills and gas prices across the country.”
Environmentalists have generally applauded the administration’s efforts to protect lands but remain critical of existing leases, like the Willow Project. For example, non-profit Earthjustice called Wednesday’s actions a “Big Win,” while also pointing out the destructiveness of existing leases.
