Biden Admin Cancels Major Oil and Gas Lease Sales Amid Soaring Gas Prices

Biden Admin Cancels Major Oil and Gas Lease Sales Amid Soaring Gas Prices
A man pumps gas at a Shell gas station in Houston, Texas on April 1, 2022. Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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The Biden administration has canceled the sales of three major offshore oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska, blocking the opportunity to drill for oil in over 1 million acres amid soaring gas prices in the United States.

The Interior Department said that due to “lack of industry interest in leasing in the area,” it will “not move forward” with the proposed Cook Inlet oil and gas lease sale 258 in Alaska, in a statement to news outlets.