ConocoPhillips Sues Over Biden Arctic Plan That Thwarts Drilling
- Rule violates federal law allowing development, company argues
- Interior Department plan targets Alaska petroleum reserve
A part of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System near Delta Junction, Alaska.
Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
ConocoPhillips sued to block a Biden administration ban on drilling across nearly half the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, claiming the measure violates a federal law that compels oil development there.
The lawsuit filed Friday takes aim at an Interior Department rule that explicitly bars oil leasing on 10.6 million acres (4.3 million hectares) of the 23-million-acre reserve, while restricting future oil development in 13 million acres designated as “special areas.”