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☆ Biden Shields Millions of Acres of Alaskan Wilderness From Drilling and Mining
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Lisa Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration expanded federal protections across millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness on Friday, blocking oil, gas and mining operations in some of the most unspoiled land in the country. It also announced it would ban drilling in more than half of the 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, an ecologically sensitive expanse north of the Arctic Circle. Together, the two moves amount to one of biggest efforts in history to shield Alaskan land from drilling and mining. They are expected to face challenges from industry as well as from elected leaders in Alaska, where oil and gas revenues make up much of the state’s budget and where mining is a main driver of the economy. “Alaska’s majestic and rugged lands and waters are among the most remarkable and healthy landscapes in the world, sustaining a vibrant subsistence economy for Alaska Native communities,” President Biden said in a statement.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Interior Department, and, Petroleum Reserve Locations: Alaska

☆ Biden Administration Announces Rule to Strengthen Protection of Public Lands
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Catrin Einhorn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration on Thursday announced a new federal rule for the nation’s sprawling public lands that puts conservation on par with activities like grazing, energy development and mining. It elevates conservation in a number of ways, including by creating two new kinds of leases for the restoration of degraded lands and for offsetting environmental damage. These lands have long been managed for “multiple uses,” including cattle ranching, drilling and recreation. “As stewards of America’s public lands, the Interior Department takes seriously our role in helping bolster landscape resilience in the face of worsening climate impacts,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. “Today’s final rule helps restore balance to our public lands as we continue using the best-available science to restore habitats, guide strategic and responsible development, and sustain our public lands for generations to come.”

Persons: Biden, Deb Haaland, “, ” Organizations: Bureau, Land Management, Interior Department

☆ Interior Said to Reject Industrial Road Through Alaskan Wilderness
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Lisa Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration is expected to deny permission for a mining company to build a 211-mile industrial road through fragile Alaskan wilderness, handing a victory to environmentalists in an election year when the president wants to underscore his credentials as a climate leader and conservationist. A formal denial of the project would come later this year, they said. The road was essential to reach what is estimated to be a $7.5 billion copper deposit buried under ecologically sensitive land. There are currently no mines in the area and no requests for permits have been filed with the government; the road was a first step. Blocking the industrial road would be an enormous victory for opponents who have argued for years that it would threaten wildlife as well as Alaska Native tribes that rely on hunting and fishing.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Interior Department Locations: Ambler, Alaska

The rule issued by the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management will tighten limits on gas flaring on federal lands and require that energy companies improve methods to detect methane leaks that add to planet-warming greenhouse gas pollution. It also regulates smaller wells that are now required to find and plug methane leaks. Venting and flaring activity from oil and gas production on public lands has significantly increased in recent decades. Interior had previously announced a rule to restrict methane emissions under former President Barack Obama. The climate law includes $1.5 billion in grants and other spending to improve monitoring and data collection of methane emissions, intending to find and repair natural gas leaks.

Persons: —, Biden, Deb Haaland, ”, Jon Goldstein, Tannis Fox, Holly Hopkins, Raul Grijalva, Grijalva, “ I’m, Barack Obama, Donald Trump Organizations: WASHINGTON, Interior Department's, of Land Management, Environmental Protection Agency, United Arab, Environmental, Environmental Defense Fund, Western Environmental Law Center, American Petroleum Institute, Arizona, Natural Resources Committee, Oil, Trump, Obama, Congress Locations: United Arab Emirates, United States

The Biden administration greenlit the seventh large offshore wind project in the United States Tuesday. Danish wind energy developer Ørsted and the utility Eversource plan to build a 924-megawatt project, Sunrise Wind, 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Montauk, New York. This month, the companies opened the nation's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm. They announced their financial commitment to the Sunrise Wind project when the Interior Department issued its decision. The Biden administration wants enough offshore wind energy to power 10 million homes by 2030.

Persons: greenlit, Ørsted, Chuck Schumer, Biden, Deb Haaland Organizations: Biden, Interior Department, U.S, Sunrise, Associated Press Locations: United, Montauk , New York, York, Montauk, Fork, AP.org

It was the winter of 2021 when Philbert Shorty’s family found his abandoned car stuck in the mud outside the small community of Tsaile near the Arizona-New Mexico state line. Generations of unaddressed trauma combine with substance abuse to create a dangerous recipe that often ends in violence, and law enforcement resources and social support programs are too sparse to offer much help. Like others, Shorty's family now knows the suffering will linger despite the increased emphasis on solving such crimes. Her group has conducted dozens of individual searches, and she has helped to build bridges between families and law enforcement to help families avoid feeling like their cases are falling through cracks. “Even if (law enforcement) would just talk to the families, say, `We don’t have anything yet but we’re still working on it,' it would help," she said.

Persons: Philbert, Ben Shorty, “, ”, he’d, Shiloh Aaron Oldrock, Oldrock's, Oldrock, Donald Trump, Deb Haaland, Biden, New Mexico Alexander Uballez, Shorty, ” Uballez, Uballez, Department's, ” Ben Shorty, Philbert Shorty, That's, couldn't, Darlene Gomez, Beyale, ‘, Erwin Beach, Beach, ” Beyale, I've, They're, ___ Sonner, Susan Montoya Bryan Organizations: Interior Department, Attorney, District, U.S ., Navajo Nation, FBI, Associated Press, Navajo, ’, AP Locations: Tsaile, Arizona, New Mexico, Navajo, , North Dakota, Indian Country, United States, Canada, U.S, Albuquerque, Farmington , New Mexico, Oldrock, Beach, Reno , Nevada, Albuquerque , New Mexico

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Truckers staged protests on busy highways outside of Mexico City on Thursday to protest the wave of killings of drivers during highway robberies. “The highways of Mexico are stained with blood,” read a banner attached to one truck. Thieves have long hijacked trucks on highways in central Mexico, but generally abandoned the drivers and their trucks after stealing the merchandise they were carrying. But now, industry groups say, the gangs often kill drivers and take the trucks to lots where they are stripped and sold for parts. The Interior Department issued a statement Thursday saying talks with other truck drivers' groups had led to agreements for more patrol cars.

Persons: Truckers, ” Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Mexican Alliance, Drivers ’, Interior Department Locations: MEXICO, Mexico City, Mexico

GREEN RIVER, Utah (AP) — A plan to extract lithium — the lustrous, white metal used in electric vehicle batteries — in southeast Utah is adding to an anxiety familiar in the arid American West: how the project could affect water from the Colorado River. The company has also acquired rights to freshwater from the Green River nearby, leading to questions about how groundwater and river water are connected, and how its plans to produce lithium could affect the environment. The Green River is a tributary of the Colorado River, the over-tapped powerhouse of the West upon which 40 million people rely. So far, Anson has acquired rights for 2,500 acre-feet of water from the Green River. “There’s a difficulty turning anything down in a community like Green River,” he said.

Persons: ”, Lauren Wood, Anson, “, ” Anson, Bruce Richardson, Michael McKibben, Ren Hatt, Gayna, Salinas Organizations: Anson Resources, University of California, Interior Department, Land Management, . Department, ExxonMobil, Associated Press, Walton Family Foundation, AP Locations: GREEN, , Utah, Utah, Colorado, An Australian, Utah , Colorado , New Mexico, Arizona, Green, Green River , Utah, Anson, U.S, Riverside, Argentina, Qinghai, China, Arkansas, Nevada, Amargosa, Las Vegas, , Nevada, Australia, Chile, Gayna Salinas, “, America

Ramped-up domestic production of lithium is a key part of President Joe Biden's blueprint for a greener future less dependent on fossil fuels. It also confirmed the snail is currently known to exist in only 13 isolated springs within a 14-mile (22-km) radius of Thacker Pass and the Montana Mountains in Humboldt County. It said other threats include “livestock grazing, roads, drought, climate change and the Thacker Pass Lithium Mine.”Lithium Americas, which is developing the mine, said it’s done significant research and plans extensive monitoring to guard against any potential harm. Fish and Wildlife Service and are confident it will reaffirm that we’re building an environmentally responsible project with no impacts to the snail,” he said in an email to The Associated Press. Paiute and Shoshone tribes also say the mine is being built on sacred land at Thacker Pass where more than two dozen of their ancestors were massacred by U.S. troops in 1865.

Persons: Thacker, Joe Biden's, ” Paul Ruprecht, pyrg, it’s, ”, Tim Crowley Organizations: Nevada -, Fish, Wildlife Service, Federal Register, Interior Department, “, ESA, Thacker, U.S . Fish, Associated Press, Land Management Locations: RENO, Nev, Nevada, Nevada - Oregon, U.S, Idaho, Reno, Thacker, Montana, Humboldt County

A 32-page lawsuit filed on Jan. 17 in U.S. District Court in Tucson, Arizona, accuses the U.S. “The San Pedro Valley will be irreparably harmed if construction proceeds,” it says. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesSunZia Wind and Transmission and government representatives did not respond Monday to emailed messages. The transmission line also is being challenged before the Arizona Court of Appeals. The court is being asked to consider whether state regulatory officials there properly considered the benefits and consequences of the project.

Persons: Pedro “ Arizona’s, Joe Biden's, Work, Verlon M, Jose, SunZia, ____ Ritter Organizations: —, U.S . Interior Department, Land Management, Western Apache, Energy, San Carlos Apache, Center for Biological Diversity, U.S, U.S . Defense Department, Work, San, Tribal, of Appeals Locations: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M, Arizona, California, U.S, Tucson , Arizona, Pedro Valley, Zuni, Western, New Mexico, San Pedro Valley, Tucson, San Pedro, ”, U.S ., Redrock, Las Vegas , Nevada

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico wants an urgent investigation into how U.S. military-grade weapons are increasingly being found in the hands of Mexican drug cartels, Mexico's top diplomat said Monday. Mexico’s army is finding belt-fed machine guns, rocket launchers and grenades that are not sold for civilian use in the United States. “The (Mexican) Defense Department has warned the United States about weapons entering Mexico that are for the exclusive use of the U.S. army,” Foreign Relations Secretary Alicia Bárcena said. While the Mexican army and marines still have superior firepower, the drug cartels' weaponry often now outclasses other branches of Mexican law enforcement. Mexico argued the companies knew weapons were being sold to traffickers who smuggled them into Mexico and decided to cash in on that market.

Persons: Alicia Bárcena, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, Sandoval, Ken Salazar, ” Salazar, Mexico’s, Bárcena, ” Bárcena, “ Organizations: MEXICO CITY, ) Defense Department, U.S ., Foreign, National Guard, Jalisco New, Mexico's Defense Department, U.S, Arms, Appeals, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Central America, South American, Central, Department, CBP Locations: MEXICO, Mexico, United States, Jalisco, Sinaloa, U.S, States, Central America, Boston , Massachusetts, South

☆ US lawmakers seek probe of Chinese drone maker Autel Robotics
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An Autel Robotics Dragonfish Pro drone, with an 18-mile range, is displayed during CES 2022 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 5, 2022. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of 11 U.S. House lawmakers on Thursday asked the Biden administration to investigate and potentially sanction Chinese drone maker Autel Robotics, citing national security concerns. The Pentagon said it would respond to the lawmakers' letter. Another signer of the letter, Republican Representative Elise Stefanik, said, "Autel drones made in Communist China present an unacceptable national security risk and should not be allowed to operate in America." Over 50% of drones sold in the United States are made by DJI, and they are the most popular drones in use by public safety agencies, Republican lawmakers said earlier this year.

Persons: Steve Marcus, Biden, Mike Gallagher, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Autel, Elise Stefanik, Gallagher, Krishnamoorthi, David Shepardson, Chris Reese, Mark Porter Organizations: Las Vegas Convention, REUTERS, Rights, House, Republican, Commerce , Defense, Treasury, Autel Robotics, Technology, Robotics, China's People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Pentagon, Commerce, Commerce Department, U.S . Interior Department, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S, House China, Communist China, America, China, Xinjiang, Ukraine, The U.S, United States

☆ US kicks off a spate of oil and gas auctions just as COP28 gets underway
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The remaining acreage, in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nevada, North Dakota and Utah, will be sold on Nov. 30, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12. The UN's "Conference of the Parties" on climate, known as COP 28, will begin on Thursday and will take place over the same two weeks. Dozens of nations plan to push for the world's first deal to phase out carbon dioxide-emitting coal, oil and gas at the meeting. "Instead of doing the necessary work to fight climate change, Biden continues to support the expansion of fossil fuels here in the U.S.," Nicole Ghio, senior fossil fuels program manager for Friends of the Earth, said in a statement. Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a climate change law passed last year, made oil and gas auctions a prerequisite for renewable energy development.

Persons: Rick Wilking, Biden, Joe Biden, Nicole Ghio, Trump, Nichola Groom, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, drillers, United Nations, Interior Department's, Interior Department's U.S . Bureau of Land Management, Department, Thomson Locations: Ft . Laramie , Wyoming, Wyoming, Dubai, Interior, Interior Department's U.S, New Mexico , Oklahoma , Nevada , North Dakota, Utah, U.S

☆ US holds first of several oil and gas auctions as COP28 gets underway
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BLM will also offer acreage in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nevada, North Dakota and Utah on Nov. 30, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12. Dozens of nations plan to push for the world's first deal to phase out carbon dioxide-emitting coal, oil and gas at the meeting. "Instead of doing the necessary work to fight climate change, Biden continues to support the expansion of fossil fuels here in the U.S.," Nicole Ghio, senior fossil fuels program manager for Friends of the Earth, said in a statement. Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a climate change law passed last year, made oil and gas auctions a prerequisite for renewable energy development. Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Aurora Ellis and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rick Wilking, Biden, Joe Biden, Nicole Ghio, Trump, Nichola Groom, Aurora Ellis, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, United Nations, Interior Department's, Interior Department's U.S . Bureau of Land Management, Department, Thomson Locations: Ft . Laramie , Wyoming, Wyoming, Dubai, Interior, Interior Department's U.S, Converse County, New Mexico , Oklahoma , Nevada , North Dakota, Utah, U.S

The leader of a South Dakota tribe is expected to declare an emergency on the state’s largest Native American reservation because of rampant crime that he said hasn’t been curbed due to the U.S. government’s inadequate funding for law enforcement. Only 33 officers and eight criminal investigators are responsible for more than 100,000 emergency calls each year across the 5,400-square-mile (14,000-square-kilometer) reservation, tribal officials have said. Oglala Sioux officials contend the tribe is entitled to federal funding for 120 fully equipped officers for the reservation, something the federal government has disputed. Giovanni Rocco, a spokesperson for the Interior Department, noted in an email to the AP that the department’s Law Enforcement Task Force has recommended the federal government increase law enforcement staffing levels on reservations. Lange, the judge in the Oglala Sioux case, has noted the Pine Ridge reservation is among the most impoverished places in the country.

Persons: hasn’t, Frank Star, “, ”, Ben Fenner, Roberto Lange, it's, They're, Giovanni Rocco, Robert Miller, Miller, Lange, ” ___ Trisha Ahmed, @TrishaAhmed15 Organizations: U.S, Oglala Sioux, Sioux, Interior Department, of Indian Affairs, The Associated Press, District, AP, Force, Arizona State University, ., Shawnee Tribe, Tribal, Northern Cheyenne, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: South Dakota, Oglala, U.S, States, Connecticut, reevaluate, United States, Oglala Sioux, Shawnee, Oklahoma, Montana, Pine

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Advocates are calling out New Mexico’s Democratic governor for disbanding a task force that was charged with crafting recommendations to address the high rate of killings and missing person cases in Native American communities. Political Cartoons View All 1253 Images“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community,” Haaland said when the recommendations were announced. Still, advocates in New Mexico say more work needs to be done to address jurisdictional challenges among law enforcement agencies and to build support for families. The organization wants state officials to outline a clear plan for advancing New Mexico’s response to the problem. Aaron Lopez, a spokesperson for the agency, said the task force's work remains foundational for the state in determining the best strategies for curbing violence against Native Americans.

Persons: Michelle Lujan Grisham’s, Deb Haaland, ” Haaland, “, Aaron Lopez, James Mountain Organizations: —, New Mexico’s Democratic, Coalition, Gov, U.S . Justice, Justice Department, New Mexico Indian Affairs Department, The New, General's, Navajo, Indian Affairs Department Locations: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M, U.S, Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico, Alaska, The, The New Mexico, Arizona, Utah

☆ ConocoPhillips' $8 billion Willow project approvals upheld by US judge
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Clark Mindock | Companies Need To Integrate Climate Reporting Across Functions To Comply With California S New Law | Henry Engler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies US judge upholds approvals for $8 billion Willow projectGroups say they are considering an appealNov 9 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Alaska on Thursday upheld U.S. approvals for ConocoPhillips’ multibillion-dollar Willow oil and gas drilling project in the state’s Arctic, rejecting environmental and tribal groups' concerns that the project poses too large of a climate threat. U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason in Anchorage dismissed a lawsuit filed by environmental and tribal groups challenging the $8 billion project's approvals, which the U.S. Opponents claim the project would release hundreds of millions of tons of carbon pollution into the atmosphere, aggravating climate change and damaging pristine wilderness. The approvals give ConocoPhillips permission to construct three drill pads, 25.8 miles of gravel roads, an air strip and hundreds of miles of ice roads. The environmental and tribal groups challenged the approvals in two lawsuits filed in March.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Sharon Gleason, Gleason, Erik Grafe, ConocoPhillips didn't, Joe Biden's, Iñupiat, Ian Dooley, Carole Holley, Earthjustice, Bridget Psarianos, Suzanne Bostrom, Rickey Turner, Paul Turcke, Ryan Steen, Whitney Brown, Jason Morgan, Luke Sanders, Stoel, Clark Mindock Organizations: ConocoPhillips, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, ConocoPhillips ’ multibillion, U.S, U.S . Interior Department, Earthjustice, Interior Department, of Land Management, Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, Environmental, of Land, for Biological, District of, Trustees, U.S . Department of Justice, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Alaska, Anchorage, District of Alaska

(AP) — Victims of government-backed Native American boarding schools are expected to share their experiences Sunday as U.S. officials make a final stop in Montana on their yearlong tour to confront the institutions that regularly abused students to assimilate them into white society. For over 150 years, Indigenous children were taken from their communities and forced into the boarding schools. A Native American boarding school school in the town of St. Ignatius on the Flathead Reservation was open until at least 1973. In southeastern Montana the Tongue River Boarding School operated under various names until at least 1970, when the Northern Cheyenne Tribe contracted it as a tribal school, according to government records. The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition has tallied an additional 113 schools not on the government list that were run by churches and with no evidence of federal support.

Persons: Deb Haaland, Wizipan Garriott, Garriott, They’ve, Fort, Ignatius, — Organizations: —, Montana State University, Interior Department, Boarding School, Northern Cheyenne Tribe, National, American Boarding School, Coalition Locations: BOZEMAN, Mont, Montana, Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico, Bozeman, U.S, Alaska, Hawaii, Rosebud Sioux, Oklahoma , South Dakota , Michigan, Arizona, Blackfeet, Fort Peck, Fort Belknap, St

In total, the cancellations equate to nearly one-fifth of President Joe Biden’s goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030. Despite the setbacks, offshore wind continues to move forward, the White House said, citing recent investments by New York state and approval by the Interior Department of the nation’s largest planned offshore wind farm in Virginia. Hardy spoke at the American Clean Power industry group’s offshore wind conference in Boston last month on a panel with Morris. Phil Murphy, has established increasingly stringent clean energy goals, moving from 100% clean energy by 2050 to 100% by 2035. “Offshore wind is a lot bigger than Ørsted.”The first U.S. commercial-scale offshore wind farms are currently under construction: Vineyard Wind off Massachusetts and South Fork Wind off Rhode Island and New York.

Persons: jeopardizing, Ørsted, Joe Biden’s, Biden, Timothy Fox, “, Molly Morris, David Hardy, Hardy, Morris, “ We’re, ”, Walt Musial, Musial, Conor Bambrick, Phil Murphy, Murphy, Catherine Klinger, Catherine Bowes, ″ Bowes, Michael Brown, ” ___ McDermott Organizations: WASHINGTON, Biden, Interior Department, Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Industry, ClearView Energy Partners, Ørsted, American Clean, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Energy Department, P, Environmental, ., Democratic Gov, New, U.S, Offshore, Ocean, ___, AP Locations: New Jersey, U.S, Danish, New England, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Virginia, Interior’s, Gulf of Mexico, East Coast, Washington, Norwegian, Jersey, United States, Boston, Europe, Virginia Beach, Rhode Island, . New Jersey, Rhode, North America, Providence , Rhode Island, Hill, Albany , New York, Catalini, Trenton , New Jersey

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — A power company's plans for an enormous offshore wind farm off Virginia's coast gained key federal approval Tuesday after the Biden Administration evaluated the project's potential impact on the environment. The utility will still need federal approval of its construction and operation plans before more pilings rise above the Atlantic Ocean. Dominion said its project will be the largest offshore wind farm under development in the United States. The administration said it wants to build 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 — enough to power more than 10 million homes. The Southern Environmental Law Center cited the importance of offshore wind for cutting carbon pollution, which fuels climate change.

Persons: what's, “, Deb Haaland, Joe Biden's, Glenn Youngkin, Will Cleveland, Michael Town, ” Organizations: Biden Administration, Dominion Energy, of Ocean Energy Management, Dominion, Interior Department, Republican Gov, Southern Environmental, Virginia League of Conservation Voters Locations: VIRGINIA BEACH, Va, Virginia's, Atlantic, Virginia Beach, United States, Virginia

☆ Biden Administration Approves Biggest Offshore Wind Farm Yet, in Virginia
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Brad Plumer | More About Brad Plumer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Interior Department on Tuesday approved a plan to install up to 176 giant wind turbines off the coast of Virginia, clearing the way for what would be the nation’s largest offshore wind farm yet. The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, to be built by Dominion Energy, is the fifth commercial-scale offshore wind project approved by the Biden administration. The decision comes at a perilous time for the offshore wind industry. To fight climate change, the Biden administration wants to install 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power in the United States by 2030. In New York, the developers of four proposed offshore wind farms recently asked the state for more money before moving forward.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Interior Department, Dominion Energy, Commonwealth, York Locations: Virginia, United States, Pacific, Massachusetts, New York

Oct 18 (Reuters) - An Alaska state agency on Wednesday sued the Biden administration over its decision to cancel oil and gas leases in the state’s North Slope, one of the country's largest reserves of pristine federal land. Interior Department’s Sept. 6 decision to scrap seven oil and gas leases in Alaska’s 19 million-acre (7.7 million-hectare) Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an area that is acutely vulnerable to climate change and home to grizzly and polar bears, herds of moose and snowy owls. The canceled leases were sold during the waning days of the Trump administration following a decades-long effort by Alaska officials to open up drilling in the refuge and bolster the state's petroleum-reliant economy. The state agency emerged as the sole bidder for most of the acreage after major oil and gas companies chose to skip the sale in 2020, which generated around $14.4 million. The two other entities that won leases at the 2020 sale withdrew from their holdings in 2022.

Persons: ”, Mike Dunleavy, Trump, Clark Mindock, Alexia Garamfalvi, Jamie Freed Organizations: Wednesday, Biden, Washington , D.C, U.S . Interior, Wildlife Refuge, Alaska Industrial Development, Export Authority, U.S, District of Columbia, Republican, U.S . Interior Department, Department, Thomson Locations: Alaska, Washington ,, U.S, Alaska’s, Republican Alaska, North

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — One person died and at least two more were injured by gunshots near a pro-democracy demonstration in Guatemala on Monday, local authorities said. Victor Gomez, spokesman for the volunteer firemen in Malacatan, near the border with Mexico, said it was not clear whether the victims were protesters themselves, or just caught nearby. The incident is the latest violent episode after 15 days of protests and roadblocks in the Central American country. On Sunday, Porras' supporters in Guatemala City called for violence against demonstrators blocking roads. They have called for the resignation of Porras, prosecutors Rafael Curruchiche and Cinthia Monterroso, and Judge Fredy Orellana.

Persons: Victor Gomez, General Consuelo Porras, Bernardo Arévalo, Alejandro Giammattei, Arévalo, ”, Porras, Napoleón Barrientos, Rafael Curruchiche, Cinthia, Judge Fredy Orellana Organizations: GUATEMALA CITY, National Police, Interior Department, Central American, Movement Locations: GUATEMALA, Guatemala, Malacatan, Mexico, Guatemalan, Guatemala City, El

Biden's Interior Department on Friday unveiled a congressionally mandated five-year plan for offshore oil drilling that included just three sales, all in the Gulf of Mexico -- the lowest number in any five-year plan since the government began publishing them in 1980. Previous five-year offshore lease programs have ranged between 11 and 41 sales, according to Interior's U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The Inflation Reduction Act, a landmark climate change law passed last year, made oil and gas lease sales a prerequisite for new offshore wind power auctions. Biden sees offshore wind power as a key element to his plan to decarbonize the U.S. economy by 2050. In a sign of the litigious nature of U.S. drilling policy, Biden's administration had been scheduled to hold a Congressionally mandated Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease auction this month.

Persons: Biden, Erik Milito, Abigail Dillen, we've, Mike Sommers, Bill Cassidy, Vladimir Putin, Cassidy, Trump, Nichola Groom, Jamie Freed, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Biden's, Department, Reuters, National Ocean Industries Association, U.S . Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior Department, Biden, American Petroleum Institute, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, Gulf Coast, OPEC, Organization of, Petroleum, ., Interior, Thomson Locations: Gulf of Mexico, U.S, Gulf, Mexico, Putin, Louisiana, Russia, California

The five-year plan includes proposed sales in the Gulf of Mexico — the nation’s primary offshore source of oil and gas — in 2025, 2027 and 2029. The three lease sales are the minimum number the Democratic administration could legally offer if it wants to continue expanding offshore wind development. The lease program will guard against environmental damage caused by oil and gas drilling and other adverse impacts to coastal communities, Haaland said. “The (oil leasing) program is definitely informed by the IRA and the connection that the IRA makes between offshore oil and gas leasing and renewable energy leasing,” he said Thursday, referring to the Inflation Reduction Act. The Interior Department can’t sell the rights to drill for oil and gas offshore without first publishing a schedule that outlines its plans.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Biden, Democratic Sen, Joe Manchin, Manchin, Harris, Deb Haaland, ”, Haaland, “, Biden's, Ryan Lance, Willow, Dyani Chapman, Tommy Beaudreau, Interior Department can’t, Rene Santos, Santos, Beth Lowell, Abigail Dillen, Sen, Dan Sullivan, ___ Brown, Becky Bohrer Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democratic, Biden, Interior Department, Interior Department’s, of Ocean Energy Management, drillers, BP, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Alaska Environment, Interior, P, Gulf, American Petroleum Institute, Chevron, Associated Press Locations: Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, Gulf, Mexico, West Virginia, Chevron, Brazil, Guyana, Louisiana, Oceana, Gulf Coast, Billings, Mont, Juneau , Alaska

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