"Joe Balash, the Alaskan leading the Interior Department's plans to auction the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's coastal plain for oil development, has resigned, effective at the end of the month.

Balash, in the Senate-confirmed position of assistant secretary of land and minerals management, said in a text last night that the decision was "bittersweet" and personal, but that he is leaving his leadership role in the Trump administration "on good terms."

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced the resignation on Twitter. Balash's last day will be Aug. 30, according to a resignation letter he provided to E&E News. ...

His decision to leave before the refuge lease sale, which is expected by the end of this year, surprised many."

Heather Richards reports for Greenwire August 21, 2019. [2]