Federal court decision to uphold ban on oil, gas exploration of Alaska’s offshore resources draws criticism from state governor
Alaska Gov. Michael J. Dunleavy is voicing displeasure with a federal ruling overturning President Donald Trump’s executive order lifting a ban on oil and gas exploration in the state’s offshore arctic.
Shortly before leaving office in 2016, President Barack Obama issued an executive order preventing lease sales for 125 million acres in the Arctic Ocean around Alaska. A year later, President Trump revoked that order as a means of one day providing lease sales.
The judge’s ruling states only the U.S. Congress has the power to overturn the Obama executive order.
“I am disappointed by this ruling and its implications for the state and national economy,” Dunleavy said. “Alaska’s potential offshore oil and gas deposits, if given the opportunity to be safely and responsibly developed, can create jobs, revenue and economic opportunity for decades. One president should not have the power to lock up Alaska’s resources in perpetuity. America needs Alaska’s natural resources.”
Alaska officials maintain the state’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) could hold as much as 27 billion barrels of oil and 132 tcf of natural gas, making it one of the world’s most significant untapped regions for oil and gas development.
“We expect this decision could be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court and my office will participate in any way possible to see this decision overturned,” Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson said.
