The federal district court for the District of Alaska denied environmental organizations’ motion pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b)(6) to reinstate the district court’s 2019 judgment determining that President Trump lacked authority to revoke President Obama’s withdrawals of certain areas on the outer continental shelf (OCS) from future oil and gas leasing. After President Biden issued an executive order in 2021 rescinding President Trump’s revocation, the Ninth Circuit concluded that the case was moot and vacated the district court’s judgment. The environmental organizations filed their Rule 60(b)(6) motion after President Trump issued Executive Order 14148 on January 20, 2025 rescinding the Biden executive order as well as President Biden’s additional withdrawals of OCS areas from oil and gas leasing. The district court agreed with defendant-intervenors American Petroleum Institute and the State of Alaska that the Ninth Circuit’s mandate did not permit the court to reinstate its 2019 judgment. The district court concluded that because the effect of possible future action had been addressed before the Ninth Circuit in briefing on the mootness question, the Ninth Circuit had “held by necessary implication that an exception to mootness premised on a recurrence of the allegedly unlawful conduct did not apply.” The district court stated that the plaintiffs could seek relief by filing a new complaint in this action or by adding the issue of Executive Order 14148’s impact on the 2017 withdrawal revocation to a separate <a href="https://climatecasechart.com/case/northern-alaska-environmental-center-v-trump/">pending</a> lawsuit challenging the revocation of President Biden’s additional withdrawals.

Challenge to executive order reversing President Obama’s withdrawal of lands in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans from future oil and gas leasing.

League of Conservation Voters v. Trump

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Alaska Federal Court Said It Lacked Authority to Reinstate Earlier Decision Finding President Trump Could Not Revoke President Obama’s Withdrawals of Offshore Areas from Oil and Gas Leasing

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Challenge to executive order reversing President Obama’s withdrawal of lands in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans from future oil and gas leasing. 

Alaska Federal Court Said It Lacked Authority to Reinstate Earlier Decision Finding President Trump Could Not Revoke President Obama’s Withdrawals of Offshore Areas from Oil and Gas Leasing

Fossil fuel

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Adaptation/resilience