Biden administration halts oil exploration in Alaska's Arctic refuge By: DW Washington: US President Joe Biden's administration announced that it would suspend oil and gas leases in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, reversing a drilling programme approved by former President Donald Trump. The remote region, known as ANWR, is home to polar bears, caribou, and other vulnerable wildlife, including migrating birds from six continents. It is also rich in oil reserves making it a long-contested quest of the oil industry. The Interior Department said it was notifying the leaseholders of the freeze in petroleum development activity, pending a comprehensive environmental review.