NEW YORK, Aug 24 (Reuters) – An Alaska federal judge on Monday threw out a lawsuit by environmental groups challenging President Donald Trump’s move to allow offshore drilling along broad swaths of previously protected coastline.
U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason found the lawsuit by groups, including the Northern Alaska Environmental Center, was premature because drilling was not imminent in federal waters that were placed off-limits by Trump’s predecessors.
Gleason did not rule on whether presidents have legal authority to undo their predecessors’ withdrawal of coastal areas from drilling and left the door open for the groups to refile their lawsuit.
Earthjustice, an advocacy group whose attorneys filed the lawsuit, said in a statement that the group still believes Trump’s actions were unlawful and that it would refile its case should federal officials expand offshore drilling.
“We’re disappointed the court found that offshore drilling activities are not imminent,” the group said in a statement. “This administration has been doing everything in its power to open our coasts to fossil fuel development. We continue to maintain that President Trump’s attempt to open withdrawn areas for oil leasing is unlawful, and we intend to pursue those claims if and when offshore activities are on the horizon.”
The U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Former Democratic President Joe Biden banned new offshore oil and gas development along most U.S. coastlines ahead of Trump taking office, though the move was considered mostly symbolic because it did not impact areas where drilling was already underway and mainly covered zones lacking important development prospects.
Trump, a Republican, sought to undo that move as part of a flurry of executive orders within hours of his inauguration aimed at boosting the nation’s already record-high oil and gas production and unwinding Biden’s efforts to address climate change.
The environmental groups said in their February 2025 lawsuit that Trump lacked authority to undo the protections, and that allowing drilling in those areas would have “significant, wide-ranging adverse impacts” on endangered species, sensitive ecosystems and local Native American communities.
(Reporting by Jack Queen in New York; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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