Interior Alaska News

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Representative Nick Begich have commented on a recent court ruling involving the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority's (AIDEA) leases in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska determined that the Biden administration's cancellation of these seven leases in 2023 was unlawful. The decision supports AIDEA, which challenged the cancellation.

Senator Lisa Murkowski stated, "As we wrote the Coastal Plain program in 2017, we adopted a legal framework substantially similar to the one in place for the NPR-A. After the first Trump administration developed a good program and AIDEA secured seven leases, the Biden administration spent four years attempting to turn the program on its head."

Murkowski further expressed hope for a swift reinstatement of the leases. She appreciated Judge Sharon Gleason's interpretation of the Coastal Plain program's legal framework as initially enacted.

Senator Dan Sullivan also criticized the Biden administration's actions, remarking, "I’ve said for years that not only were President Biden’s 70 executive orders and actions shutting down Alaska harmful to our state and working families, but many of them were also illegal." Sullivan viewed the court’s decision as both a legal and economic turning point for the state.

Representative Nick Begich echoed these concerns, describing the lease cancellations as a "reckless act of overreach." He emphasized the clarity provided by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 regarding ANWR's development and celebrated the ruling as a step toward re-establishing Alaska's role in U.S. energy.

The Department of the Interior originally canceled AIDEA’s seven Coastal Plain leases in September 2023, leading AIDEA to file a lawsuit in October. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason's opinion highlighted the procedural lapses by the Department of the Interior, stating, "Federal Defendants’ cancellation of AIDEA’s leases was not in accordance with law because it failed to seek a court order…The Court finds that vacatur is appropriate."

The case has been remanded to the Department of the Interior for further actions following the court's ruling.