Alaska Sues Biden Administration Over Arctic Drilling Restrictions

No companies bid on drilling rights in protected wildlife refuge as legal battles over access and environmental protections intensify.

The state of Alaska filed a federal lawsuit challenging new restrictions on oil and gas drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
The Biden administration announced that no private companies submitted bids for drilling rights in the latest lease offering, citing strict limitations on surface use and occupancy.
Alaska argues that the restrictions make development of 400,000 acres in the refuge's coastal plain impractical, impacting potential revenue from energy development.
The lawsuit follows the administration's cancellation of seven leases issued during the Trump presidency, which Alaska claims has significantly reduced expected income.
The Arctic refuge, home to diverse wildlife and land sacred to the Gwich’in people, has long been at the center of political and legal disputes over environmental conservation versus resource development.