Future oil and gas drilling will be limited across more than 13 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, the nation’s largest expanse of public land, under a sweeping Biden administration plan aimed at protecting sensitive ecosystems and wildlife. The Interior Department’s final rule represents one of President Biden’s most significant steps to curb fossil fuel development on federal lands. It could help the president’s reelection campaign court young voters, a key Democratic constituency, after many youth climate activists criticized the administration’s approval of a massive drilling project on Alaska’s North Slope last year. In a separate move, Interior announced Friday that it will block a controversial road crucial to operating a planned copper and zinc mine in northern Alaska, saying it would threaten Indigenous communities and fragment wildlife habitat. Together, the two decisions are aimed at safeguarding some of Alaska’s last wild places from development. In a statement, Biden said he was proud of his administration’s efforts to protect the Arctic for current and future generations. “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,” Biden said. “These natural wonders demand our protection.” Both moves carry political and legal risks for the administration. In particular, the protections for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska are expected to face lawsuits from fossil fuel companies and fierce opposition from Alaskan lawmakers, including Rep. Mary Peltola, a popular Democrat who faces a tough reelection contest. Peltola, whose race will help determine which party controls the House, wrote in a social media post last week that the administration was ignoring Alaskans’ preferences for drilling in the reserve. “In the end it should be up to Alaskans to decide what... |