CARIBOU HAVEN This undated aerial photo provided by US Fish and Wildlife Service shows a herd of caribou on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. The Biden administration is suspending oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as it reviews the environmental impacts of drilling in the remote region. US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE VIA APANCHORAGE: US President Joe Biden's administration announced on Tuesday it was halting petroleum development activity in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), reversing a move by former president Donald Trump to allow drilling. The push for development picked up momentum after Trump announced the leasing plan last November shortly after losing reelection to Biden. Major oil companies sat out the bidding and nine of the leases went to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, a state agency, while two went to small companies.

Source: Manila Times June 02, 2021 16:30 UTC