‘Seriously flawed’ oil and gas leases in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge canceled by Biden
The Biden administration made a significant step toward protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday, announcing that it is canceling all leases for gas and oil companies on the region’s coastal plain.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is an area of land in northeast Alaska about the size of South Carolina. Following the Trump Administration’s passing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017, nine tracts of land were sold to oil and gas companies on 10-year leases.
Two of those leases were canceled and refunded in 2021, and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland authorized the cancellation of the other seven leases on Wednesday; they were initially suspended following the issuance of Secretary’s Order 3401 in 2021, after identifying multiple legal deficiencies among the leases.
Some of the deficiencies include insufficient analysis of the impact on the environment of drilling for oil and gas, failure to analyze a reasonable number of alternatives, and improperly interpreting the effect of greenhouse gas emissions.
Although the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge may seem far away, drilling on the land can be felt far and wide. For the third time since 2015, the northern Pacific Ocean has experienced a marine heatwave, with water temperatures about four degrees above normal off the Washington state coast.
One of the main causes for marine heatwaves are drilling practices, with seas absorbing about 90% of the heat absorbed by rising emissions linked to drilling, according to the United Nations.
Warmer sea temperatures causes all sorts of havoc on local wildlife, University of Washington ecologist Julia Parrish told McClatchy News. Some of the effects include fish being unable to cool down enough and therefore swimming north for cooler temperatures; as a result, Washington coastal birds will also either migrate north for food or starve.
Washington Democratic senator Maria Cantwell praised the Biden Administration on Wednesday following the announcement of the cancellation of the leases.
“The Biden Administration is doing the right thing preserving one of America’s greatest remaining pristine ecosystems for the benefit of future generations, Indigenous communities, and our shared climate,” Cantwell said.
Cantwell has been a major proponent of protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In 2021, she was one of 24 United States senators to co-sponsor the Arctic Refuge Protection Act, which eventually stalled in the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands. She also fought against drilling in the refuge in December 2005.
“Today’s decision overturns the Trump Administration’s last-minute attempt to circumvent environmental laws and jam through drilling in the pristine Arctic Refuge,” Cantwell continued. “Now we need to permanently protect these irreplaceable areas and facilitate new economic opportunities based on preserving America’s pristine public lands for outdoor recreation.”
This story was originally published September 7, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
