Federal officials characterized the dismissals as a “correction of the prior administration’s congressional obstruction.”
Trump settles suits challenging Biden-era oil restrictions in Alaska
Courthouse News Service, Friday, July 10, 2026
The U.S. Department of Justice settled two cases challenging Biden-era restrictions on oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, agreeing that the limits ran afoul of federal law.
Both lawsuits challenged former President Joe Biden’s 2024 restrictions on oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain. One lawsuit was brought by the state of Alaska and the other by Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority.
Justice Department attorneys filed a stipulation of dismissal on Tuesday and said the settlement concedes the 2024 program violated the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — a law passed during President Donald Trump’s first term that established an oil and gas program in the refuge.
“This settlement furthers President Trump’s commitment to unleash Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential,” Adam Gustafson, principal deputy assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Energy and Natural Resources Division, said in a statement.
Graphite One has supported moving to an environmental impact statement (EIS) for its Graphite Creek Project in Alaska, US, maintaining its 2029 production startup target.
Graphite One backs comprehensive review for Alaska project
JC Villarba, Mining.Com.Au, July 10, 2026
The company says it concurs with the US Army Corps of Engineers’ determination that an EIS represents the best pathway forward for permitting the US’s largest known natural graphite deposit on the Seward Peninsula.
This decision follows close collaboration with the Army Corps during the environmental assessment process.
Graphite One says it has been conducting permitting work at the EIS level from the outset and structured its startup schedule to accommodate the comprehensive review timeline.
“We fully support the Army Corps’ recommendation to conduct a comprehensive EIS review,” CEO Anthony Huston says.
“This approach ensures transparency and provides the opportunity for all stakeholders — including local communities, Indigenous groups, and regulatory agencies — to have their voices heard and concerns addressed in a thorough manner.
“Our team has been preparing for this level of review throughout the process, and we remain confident in our ability to deliver this critical domestic graphite supply chain project on our targeted 2029 timeline.”
The company expects the EIS schedule to align with State of Alaska permitting requirements without delaying the proposed production timeline.
Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC), which made a significant direct investment in GPH in 2023, supports the comprehensive EIS approach.
Many residents in communities closest to the project are BSNC shareholders.
“We agree that evaluating the Graphite Creek Project under the full EIS process is in the best interest of everyone involved — Graphite One, investors like BSNC, and, most importantly, our shareholders who call the areas near the project home,” BSNC President Cindy Towarak Massie says.
The US Geological Survey has confirmed Graphite Creek as the US’s largest known natural graphite deposit. The US remains 100% import-reliant on natural graphite.
Graphite One is advancing the Graphite Creek Project in Alaska to establish a vertically integrated domestic supply chain for battery-grade anode materials and advanced graphite form
While some governments continue to restrict responsible resource development, even Europe’s top energy officials are acknowledging a simple truth: secure energy depends on continued oil and gas production.
IEA Chief Urges EU to Drop Arctic Drilling Ban
Michael Kern, OilPrice.Com, July 10, 2026
The European Union should reverse the current moratorium on drilling in the Arctic, where Norway is pushing to drill if allowed, Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), has said.
The EU’s moratorium on Arctic drilling was enacted in 2021 due to the bloc’s climate commitments and environmental concerns. The ban does not allow drilling in Norway’s northern parts of the Barents Sea, which is estimated to contain most of the remaining Norwegian oil and gas resources.
Norway, which is not a member of the EU but is the biggest gas supplier to European markets, has been lobbying the bloc in recent months to drop its opposition to drilling in the Arctic. The Iran war and the biggest oil and gas supply disruption in history have added to Norway’s arguments that Europe needs reliable supply from places outside of conflict zones.
The IEA’s Birol called for a review of the moratorium after a meeting with Norwegian Finance Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, in Brussels.
“I support the Commission to give a very close look at this issue because it is extremely important for the European energy security,” Birol said, as carried by Bloomberg.
“The world needs every drop of oil from Norway,” the head of the international agency added.
In a post on X, Birol wrote that during the meeting with the Norwegian official, “I emphasized Norway’s importance for European energy security as countries reassess their energy strategies.”
European investors, meanwhile, are urging the European Commission to keep the moratorium in place.
Norway has argued for years that an arbitrary line defining the Arctic area shouldn’t be viewed as the cut-off line for oil and gas drilling.
“Of course there are environmental concerns that we have to take into account,” Stoltenberg said this week. “But to say no, there should be no oil and gas exploration in the Arctic doesn’t make sense for Norway.”
