The move comes two months after the Biden administration suspended nine contracts at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, pending an environmental analysis.
In turn, the Home Office said a new review will determine whether it will remain in place, be abolished, or be subject to mitigation measures.
The review will determine the fate of drilling parcels distributed in the last days of the administration of former President Donald Trump
The supplementary review will also assess the impacts of the program on greenhouse gas emissions, wildlife, wetlands and vegetation.
Biden pledged during his election campaign to protect the pristine area of 19.6 million acres, which is home to polar bears, deer, and a wide range of other wildlife and migratory birds.
According to CBC, the administration began that review with a notice on a federal government website announcing a 60-day period for public comment.
She said the whole process could take about 18 months to complete. The Trump-era Home Office sold the leases over the objections of environmentalists and indigenous groups.
The Alaskan state government had lobbied for the sale for decades, hoping that opening the massive shelter would help revive the ailing oil industry.
And in 2017, Congress passed a law requiring the sale of Ejari in the area within seven years.
The program is the subject of lawsuits by green and local groups alleging that the Trump administration violated federal law by performing a faulty environmental analysis that failed to adequately consider its impact on wildlife and indigenous people.
No comments:
Post a Comment