[Reuters]U.S. President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday said it would suspend oil and gas leases that were handed out in an Alaska wildlife refuge during the final days of the Trump administration pending an environmental review. Trump's Interior Department sold the leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in January over the objections of environmentalists and indigenous groups. Biden's Interior Department said it had notified the leaseholders, which include an Alaska state agency. He has also paused all new oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters, a source of a quarter of the nation's petroleum. "Our leases for oil and gas are valid and cannot be taken away by the federal government," Alaska Gov.

Source: Standard Digital June 02, 2021 09:11 UTC