The Biden administration has taken a major step in protecting the environment by canceling all remaining oil and gas leases in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and protecting an additional 13 million acres in the nearby National Petroleum Reserve from drilling and other development. This decision comes in response to the increasing global warming that is causing extreme weather disasters around the world, and is in line with Biden's campaign promise to “reverse the Trump administration’s assaults” on the environment. The Interior Department said that the 13 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve will be protected from drilling and other development, helping to ensure that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and its 19.6 million acres of habitat remain safe and protected.