Biden administration lacked the authority to cancel oil and gas leases in Alaska refuge, judge rules
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A federal judge in Alaska on Tuesday ruled the Biden administration lacked the authority to cancel seven oil and gas leases that had been issued for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason said terms of a 2017 tax law that set the stage for the first-ever lease sale in the refuge's coastal plain in early 2021 suggested that leases could only be canceled by a court order. She sent the matter back to the Department of Interior for further action.
President Donald Trump upon his return to office in January signed an Alaska-specific executive order that among other things had sought to rescind the lease cancelation.
The tax law called for two lease sale offerings by late 2024 in the refuge's coastal plain, a roughly 1.5 million acre (more than 6 million hectare) swath of the vast refuge that borders the Beaufort Sea and is home to such wildlife as polar bears, caribou and birds. The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, a state corporation, was the major bidder in the first sale, which was held in the waning days of the first Trump administration. Small companies won two other leases but gave them up.
Gleason in 2021 had rejected calls by drilling opponents to halt that first lease sale until underlying lawsuits were resolved.
The second sale, held shortly before Biden left office, drew no bids. It was criticized by Alaska political leaders as too restrictive to attract interest, but environmental groups pointed to a lack of interest from oil companies as a reason to put the long-running debate over whether to allow drilling to rest.
Tuesday's decision, in a case brought by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority against the Interior Department and federal officials, is the latest twist in the decades-long fight.
Gwich'in leaders have opposed drilling on the coastal plain, which they consider sacred, citing its importance to caribou they rely upon. Leaders of the Iñupiaq community of Kaktovik, which is within the refuge, have expressed support for drilling, as have Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the state's congressional delegation.
Dunleavy in a statement lauded the decision: "Now the leasing program can move forward and could result in more safe, secure energy production right here in Alaska.'
Gwich'in leaders and environmental groups vowed to keep fighting.
"While we are deeply disappointed by today's ruling, we want to be clear that this decision does not diminish our determination to protect these sacred lands,' Raeann Garnett, First Chief of the Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, said in a statement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
34 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
AP PHOTOS: Colombians pray for Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay after assassination attempt
The assassination attempt on a senator and presidential hopeful has stunned Colombia, with many politicians describing it as the latest sign of deteriorating security in the country. Conservative Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot in the head Saturday, as he addressed people in a park in Bogota. On Sunday, hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital where Uribe is being treated to pray for his recovery. Some carried rosaries in their hands, while others chanted slogans against President Gustavo Petro. Petro has condemned the attack and urged his opponents to not use it for political ends. But some Colombians have also asked the president to tone down his rhetoric against opposition leaders. Doctors said Monday that Uribe had barely responded to medical treatment and was in critical condition. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
16 states sue to block Trump administration plan to distribute machine-gun conversion devices
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) at a July 2024 news conference. Brown on Monday joined 15 other attorneys general suing the Trump administration over its plan to distribute thousands of machine-gun conversion devices. (Photo by Elijah Pittman/Maryland Matters) Attorneys general in 16 jurisdictions sued Monday to block a Trump administration plan to redistribute thousands of devices that convert guns to machine guns, including distribution in states where such devices are banned by state law. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland, said the plan would not only expose residents of those states to greater amounts of deadly violence, but it would be contrary to federal law that calls for the seizure of machine-gun conversion devices. And it would cause federal officials to 'aid and abet violations of state law' by distributing the devices in states where they are outlawed, the suit said. The decision to return almost 12,000 forced reset triggers — which allow shooters to fire hundreds of rounds a minute with one pull of the trigger — was announced in a settlement last month between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and gun manufacturers and gun-rights groups. 'These devices enable firearms to fire up to 900 bullets per minute. The increased rate of fire allows carnage and chaos to reign on the streets,' said Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) in a virtual press briefing Monday with New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin (D) and Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings (D). 'Everyone nearby becomes vulnerable to serious injury or death. These are battlefield weapons that have no place in our communities,' Brown said. Under the Biden administration, ATF classified forced reset triggers as 'prohibited machine guns under federal law … and conducted extensive retrieval operations, seizing nearly 12,000 FRTs from the field,' according to the lawsuit. Maryland Supreme Court upholds gun possession ban in some non-felony cases But the new administration reversed course after a Feb. 7 executive order from President Donald Trump (R) on 'Protecting Second Amendment Rights.' On May 16, the Justice Department announced a settlement with Rare Breed Triggers, a manufacturer of the devices based in Wichita City, Texas. Under the deal, the company agreed not to develop or design such triggers for handguns, to promote safe and responsible use of its products, and to enforce its patents to 'prevent infringement that could threaten public safety.' In exchange, the government agreed not to enforce any policy where an FRT is 'contended to be' a machine gun, and to return by Sept. 30 any reset triggers seized or 'taken as a result of a voluntary surrender.' 'We won,' Lawrence DeMonico, president of Rare Breed Triggers, said in a video posted online the day settlement was announced. 'With the Trump administration's renewed focused on justice and their commitment to correcting the weaponization of the DOJ under the Biden administration, we were finally able to secure a deal that brought this fight to a close.' Representatives with Rare Breed Triggers and the Justice Department did not respond to email requests for comment Monday. The National Association of Gun Rights, which was also a party to the settlement, said it a statement that the deal will survive any challenge from the 'anti-gun attorneys general.' 'A federal court already ruled the government unlawfully seized thousands of legal triggers from law-abiding Americans — a decision that the ATF now acknowledges and accepts,' said Hannah Hill, vice president for the association. 'These states lack standing to file this lawsuit, and they know it. This suit is just reckless political lawfare.' But the states' lawsuit highlights the impact of gun violence in their jurisdictions, where it said there were nearly 47,000 gun-related deaths in 2023. Illinois had the most such deaths that year, at 1,691. Of the states represented at Mondays briefing, Maryland recorded 737 gun-related deaths in 2023, New Jersey had 430 and Delaware had 124, according to the suit. The suit also spells out the financial burden that comes with gun violence, for medical bills, police, court and prison costs. It said one fatal shooting in Baltimore can cost $2.4 million and a nonfatal shooting costs $1.5 million. In Newark, New Jersey, the cost is nearly $2.2 million for a fatal shooting and $1 million for a nonfatal shooting. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE 'This is not a partisan issue. It is a public safety issue,' Delaware's Jennings said. 'The Trump administration's deal to redistribute these deadly devices violates the law, full stop. It undermines public safety and ties the hand of law enforcement.' Platkin recalled the shooting death in March 2022, just two months after he took office, of SeQuoya Bacon-Jones, who was a bystander to a shooting when she was struck and killed. Platkin said SeQuoya would have celebrated her 13th birthday last Saturday. 'She had dreamed of becoming a law enforcement officer, but instead she was killed by a single stray bullet while she was playing hide-and-seek in the courtyard of her apartment complex,' Platkin said. 'I wish the Trump administration … would put little kids like Sequoya's interests ahead of the gun lobby's. But since they don't seem to care, we're going to make them care.' Besides Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey, other jurisdictions on the suit are the District of Columbia and the states of Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. All but Maine and Vermont currently have state laws prohibiting forced reset triggers or guns modified with them.
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
AP PHOTOS: Colombians pray for Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay after assassination attempt
The assassination attempt on a senator and presidential hopeful has stunned Colombia, with many politicians describing it as the latest sign of deteriorating security in the country. Conservative Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot in the head Saturday, as he addressed people in a park in Bogota. On Sunday, hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital where Uribe is being treated to pray for his recovery. Some carried rosaries in their hands, while others chanted slogans against President Gustavo Petro. Petro has condemned the attack and urged his opponents to not use it for political ends. But some Colombians have also asked the president to tone down his rhetoric against opposition leaders. Doctors said Monday that Uribe had barely responded to medical treatment and was in critical condition. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
