Biden suspends Trump-era oil drilling leases in Alaska’s Arctic refuge

Interior department order follows a temporary moratorium on oil and gas lease activities imposed by president on first day in office

The Biden administration has reversed plans approved by Donald Trump to allow companies to drill for oil and gas in Alaska's Arctic national wildlife refuge, a remote region that is home to polar bears, caribou - and 11bn barrels of oil.

The decision to suspend the oil drilling licences follows the temporary moratorium on oil and gas lease activities imposed by Joe Biden on his first day in the White House, and serves as a high-profile show of his climate credentials after approving hundreds of requests to drill on federal lands in recent weeks.