Alaska is suing President Biden's administration over restrictions placed on an upcoming oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The state argues that the restrictions violate a 2017 law mandating lease sales in the refuge's coastal plain. While the Biden administration aims to limit oil exploration and drilling, Alaska contends that the restrictions hinder development efforts.
Alaska is suing the Biden administration over Friday’s Arctic refuge oil lease sale . Will there be much bidding this time?The Kaktovik Lagoon and the Brooks Range mountains of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are seen in the distance, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Kaktovik, Alaska .
Still, even light bidding under the right circumstances could lead to modern seismic exploration that helps update the refuge’s oil potential, a former head of the U.S. Geological Survey said.Drilling in the refuge has been subject to fierce national debates for decades, with conservation groups and some Alaska tribal organizations arguing that it will put polar bears, caribou and other wildlife at risk, and contribute to climate change.
The construction of surface oil facilities is prohibited on well over half the available acres, aside from additional limitations on other acreage, the state says in the complaint. But he said he thinks there will likely be no competition during the sale in part because the Biden administration has structured it to ensure there is no bidding.“It really is a ‘non-sale’ sale,” Armstrong said in a text message Tuesday. “The sale results will in no way reflect the industry’s interest in, or the potential of ANWR.”
The lack of broader interest stems from the economic challenges and risk of exploration in the remote Arctic, not the policies of the Biden administration, he said.
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