The U.S. Interior Department on Wednesday will announce the cancellation of oil and gas leases in a federal wildlife refuge that were bought by an Alaska state agency in 2021, according to sources briefed on the matter.

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) was issued seven leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge a day before the inauguration of President Joe Biden, who had pledged to protect the habitat for polar bears and caribou.

(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw in Washington and Nichola Groom in Los Angeles)