President Joe Biden “doesn’t have the authority” to restrict new oil and gas leasing on federal petroleum reserves in Alaska, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) said Sunday in response to the Democratic administration’s environmental protection plan.

“Leaders of the North Slope of Alaska were unanimous in opposition to this,” Sullivan said Sunday, adding that Biden was not being forthright about the wants of Alaska Native communities in regard to the new oil and gas leasing rule. Sullivan’s comments come days after the Biden administration finalized a rule on Friday to freeze new fossil fuel leases on nearly half of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.