Biden admin suspends oil and gas leases in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The federal government is suspending oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge pending an analysis of possible environmental consequences of the leasing program.

The move comes after the Biden administration earlier this year ordered the Interior Secretary to institute a temporary moratorium on federal government activity pertaining to the implementation of the leasing program. 

"The Department of the Interior today suspended all activities related to the implementation of the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge pending completion of a comprehensive analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)," the agency said in a June 1 press release. "Secretarial Order 3401 directs the Department to initiate a comprehensive environmental analysis to review the potential impacts of the Program and to address legal deficiencies in the current leasing program's environmental review under NEPA. The Department is notifying lessees that it is suspending oil and gas leases in the Arctic Refuge, pending the review, to determine whether the leases should be reaffirmed, voided, or subject to additional mitigation measures."