Ninth Circuit questions executive authority over Arctic refuge oil and gas leases

A Ninth Circuit panel heard arguments Tuesday over whether to reinstate a Biden-era cancellation of oil and gas leases in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, even as Judge Michelle Friedland repeatedly questioned whether the case was moot, since the Trump administration already reversed the cancellation upon retaking office. A Justice Department attorney seized on that skepticism, arguing Interior had effectively mooted the whole dispute by reaffirming the leases' validity in 2025.

An attorney for the Gwich'in Steering Committee argued the case still matters for preserving the Interior Secretary's authority to cancel invalid leases elsewhere, including in Alaska's western Arctic. Meanwhile, the federal government already auctioned more than 70,000 acres of refuge land in June, with a state-owned corporation winning most tracts and receiving, by virtue of owning both sides of the transaction, effectively half off its own purchase price. A separate challenge to the current leasing process is set for an Alaska federal court hearing in October.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.