Trump settles suits challenging Biden-era oil restrictions in Alaska

The U.S. Department of Justice settled two lawsuits challenging Biden-era restrictions on oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, agreeing the 2024 program violated the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The settlement, which dismissed cases from Alaska and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, affirmed Trump’s 2017 policy requiring lease sales in the refuge’s coastal plain.