Alaska political leaders hope to see Trump undo restrictions on oil drilling

Associated Press

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Political leaders in Alaska have welcomed President-elect Donald Trump’s pledges to expand oil production. They hope he will undo restrictions imposed by the Biden administration on vast swaths of Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope, as well as pursue drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Biden administration canceled leases issued during a first-of-its-kind sale for the refuge that was held in the final days of the Trump administration. A 2017 law requires a second sale be held before year’s end, and the Biden administration has proposed offering the minimum amount of acreage mandated by the law.