Judge won’t stop lease sales in Arctic refuge

JUNEAU — A U.S. judge on Tuesday refused to halt oil and gas lease sales in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that were pushed by the Trump administration in its final days.

U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason’s decision came after conservationists and Indigenous groups argued the lease sales scheduled for Wednesday was based on inadequate environmental reviews or outdated information.

The judge was asked to halt the sale until underlying lawsuits are resolved. But in her ruling, Gleason said the groups had not shown a level of harms necessary for her to grant an injunction now.