AK lawmakers claim ‘victory’ as feds begin reversal of ‘illegal’ Biden rule restricting ANWR oil and gas

Alaska’s congressional delegation praised President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum for starting the process of rescinding a Biden-era rule that restricted oil and gas exploration in the resource-rich Section 1002 of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Sen. Dan Sullivan said Burgum announced the move at a town hall in Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow) at the northern tip of the vast state, where local natives applauded because they "understand better than anyone" why responsible oil production is key to their communities’ livelihood.

Sullivan called the Biden-era rule "illegal" and said it turned vast swaths of an area originally intended for domestic energy production into "de facto wilderness."

"Responsible resource development has transformed the lives of the ...