The Trump administration is reinstating seven large oil leases that President Donald Trump awarded to Alaska during his first stint in the White House before the Biden administration canceled them. The decision comes shortly after a federal district court judge determined the cancellations were illegal.
In an opinion published late Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason ruled that the cancellations of the leases—which span 365,775 acres across the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and were awarded in January 2021, in the final days of the first Trump administration—were illegal because such leases can only be canceled via court order. Then-interior secretary Deb Haaland abruptly canceled the leases in September 2023 over climate concerns.
Gleason ultimately remanded the issue back to the Department of the Interior for further proceedings, teeing up the agency’s reinstatement of the leases.
“The court’s decision finds that the cancellation of [Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority’s] ANWR leases was unlawful,” an Interior Department spokeswoman told the Washington Free Beacon. “The Department is moving quickly to reinstate the wrongfully terminated leases, consistent with President Trump’s order to unleash Alaska’s energy resources and further ensure American Energy Dominance.”
The Interior Department’s reinstatement of Alaska’s leases is the latest salvo in its efforts to boost energy production and reduce consumer prices. And they are yet another departure from policies pursued by the Biden administration, which sought to block drilling and prevent further fossil fuel leasing as part of its aggressive climate agenda.
It also comes as the Trump administration continues to eye Alaska as a key player in its “drill, baby, drill” agenda. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office to ensure the government takes full advantage of the state’s “abundant and largely untapped supply of natural resources” and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum reaffirmed last week that he would take action expanding energy production in the state.