The U.S. Interior Department on Wednesday will announce the cancellation of oil and gas leases in a federal wildlife refuge that were bought by an Alaska state development agency in the final days of the Trump administration, according to sources briefed on the matter.

The U.S. Interior Department on Wednesday will announce the cancellation of oil and gas leases in a federal wildlife refuge that were bought by an Alaska state development agency in the final days of the Trump administration, according to sources briefed on the matter.

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) was issued seven leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge a day before the inauguration of President Joe Biden, who had pledged to protect the 19.6 million-acre (7.7 million hectares) habitat for polar bears and caribou.

    • ZMonster@lemmy.world
      15·
      1 year ago

      A few were invested in at the start but everyone quickly realized it was going nowhere. The regulatory agency tried to set up a few things to help but it was always going nowhere. IIRC, two of the organizations that filed were trying to get refunded and were threatening litigation.