"The Biden administration will review a Trump-era decision to greenlight oil drilling access in most of the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska, the Interior Department revealed in a court filing yesterday [Wednesday].

Management of the NPR-A has become a challenge for the administration, which aims to reform the federal oil and gas program to reduce climate impacts but also recently supported a contested $6 billion oil and gas project within its boundaries.

The Trump administration expanded oil and gas developers’ access last year to 84% from 50% of the 23 million-acre reserve.

Environmental groups promptly sued, claiming Interior failed to conduct a sufficient analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act and performed a weak assessment of its climate implications."

Heather Richards reports for E&E News September 8, 2021. [2]