The Department of the Interior has previously canceled leases in Alaska due to a lack of interest from the industry.
Republicans have slammed the Biden administration’s decision to cancel the sale of an oil and gas drilling lease for an area in Alaska of more than one million acres amid record-high gas prices. The Department of the Interior will not proceed with the sale of a lease for the Cook Inlet in Alaska with an official telling CBS News on Wednesday that «a lack of industry interest in leasing in the area» was the reason for the decision. The department has also canceled the sale of two other leases in the Gulf of Mexico because of «conflicting court rulings that impacted work on these proposed lease sales.»
Republicans were quick to criticize the decision and cited the high price of gas. The American Automobile Association (AAA) reported that the national average price of a gallon of regular gas was more than $4.40 on Wednesday. That’s a new record high, which was previously set in March at $4.33 per gallon. High gas prices are one of the most visible signs of persistently high inflation. Some Republicans argued that canceling the sale of leases would do nothing to alleviate gas prices and could even push prices up. U.S. Representative Beth Van Duyne of Texas’ 24th district tweeted: «Biden chooses to further cut American energy production and drive our gas prices higher.
