Overview

• The court found the Interior Department failed to consider the cumulative impacts on beluga whales and other marine mammals.
• The lease sale, part of the Inflation Reduction Act, had opened nearly a million acres of Cook Inlet to oil and gas drilling.
• Environmental groups celebrated the decision, calling it a victory for Alaska communities and endangered species.
• The ruling requires a supplemental environmental review before any further action can be taken on the lease.
• Hilcorp's lease is suspended, pending the outcome of the new environmental review.