The Trump administration announced an initial step toward a new offshore leasing plan that could mean new drilling rights in federal waters of the Arctic.
On Monday the Interior Department will open a public comment period for a rewrite of the five-year plan.
In April, President Trump lifted the ban his predecessor imposed on new Arctic lease sales. A group of environmentalists filed suit, saying the president didn’t have the authority to overturn the indefinite ban. Even without that lawsuit, rewriting the five-year plan could take several years.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
