The U.S. state of Alaska has sued the Biden administration for what it calls violations of a Congressional directive to allow oil and gas development in a portion of the federal Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

The entire Northern Bering Sea is now off-limits to oil and gas leasing, under a presidential directive announced on Monday. President Joe Biden invoked his authority under a federal law to withdraw about 44 million acres of the Northern Bering Sea and other federal offshore areas from the Department of the Interior’s oil and gas

The state argues that restrictions imposed on the lease sale are designed to block oil and gas activity, violating a 2017 law.

Justice Department lawyers are defending the defense secretary’s decision to back out of the agreement that avoided a death penalty trial, moving the question from military to civilian courts.

The Biden administration has asked a federal appeals court to block a plea agreement for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.