The US Department of the Interior (DOI) has terminated seven oil and gas leases awarded by the Trump administration to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge due to alleged legal deficiencies in environmental permitting.
The decision announced by the department in a news release Wednesday means that the nine leases issued under the Coastal Plain Lease Program have been canceled after a review ordered by the Biden administration.
The leases covered over 430,000 acres and were to last for 10 years. But on January 21, 2021, one day after his inauguration, President Joe Biden ordered the DOI to review the program through Executive Order 13990. Then Interior Secretary Deb Haaland issue Order no. Arctic shelter leasing program.
The Secretary’s preliminary review of the program found “multiple legal deficiencies in the underlying record supporting the leases, including, but not limited to: (1) insufficient analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act, including the lack of of adequate analysis of a reasonable range of alternatives in the environmental impact statement (EIA) and (2) the failure in the Decision File of August 17, 2020 to correctly interpret article 20001 of Public Law 115-97 (Tax Law)”, can be read in the text of the order.
Following the secretary’s order, two of the nine leases were canceled with refunds to awardees upon their request, the DOI said in Wednesday’s announcement.
The remaining seven leases covering 365,000 acres have also been voided, the DOI said Wednesday when it issued a draft supplemental EIS.
The awardees were the Alaska Export and Industrial Development Authority for seven sections, Knik Arm Services LLC for one section and Regenerate Alaska Inc. for one tract, as announced by DOI’s Office of Land Management on January 19, 2021.
In Wednesday’s news release, the DOI reaffirmed its earlier findings. The statement said “the 2021 lease sale was seriously flawed and was based on a number of fundamental legal deficiencies, including: insufficient analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act, including the lack of adequate analysis of “a reasonable range of alternatives and to adequately quantify downstream greenhouse gas emissions; and not correctly interpret the Tax Law”.
Restrictions on the Alaska oil reserve
The DOI also said in the announcement that it is moving forward with proposed new regulations limiting oil and gas leasing in the Alaska National Petroleum Reserve (NPRA), which would “ensure maximum protection for the more than 13 million acres of special reserve areas.” , while supporting livelihood activities for Alaska Native communities.”
“With climate change warming the Arctic more than twice as fast as the rest of the planet, we must do everything in our control to meet the highest standards of care to protect this fragile ecosystem,” Haaland said in a statement.
“The steps we are taking today will advance this commitment, based on the best available science and in recognition of the indigenous knowledge of the original managers of this area, to safeguard our public lands for future generations,” added Secretary ‘Interior.
First announced on March 12, the proposal “adds to President Biden’s actions to protect millions of acres of land and water in the Arctic, including the removal of approximately 2.8 million acres of Beaufort Sea, ensuring that the entire U.S. Arctic Ocean is off-limits to new oil and gas leasing,” Wednesday’s announcement said.
The new regulations would limit oil and gas and industrial developments around the Colville River, Kasegaluk Lagoon, Peard Bay Special Areas, Lake Teshekpuk and the Utukok Highlands. These areas are “known for their globally important intact habitat for wildlife, including polar and grizzly bears, caribou, and hundreds of thousands of migratory birds,” the DOI noted in the announcement.
“The rule would establish an absolute ban on any new leasing on 10.6 million acres, more than 40 percent of the NPR-A,” he added.
The DOI said it would open a 60-day public comment period for the proposal, the timeline for which has not yet been announced. “During this time, the BLM will host in-person meetings in North Slope communities as well as virtual public meetings to discuss the proposed rule,” the department said.
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