Biden Administration Advances Arctic Oil Lease Sale with Limited Scope

The upcoming January 9 lease sale fulfills a 2017 legal mandate, offering the minimum acreage while facing opposition from conservationists and local communities.

The Biden administration has announced a January 9 oil and gas lease sale in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, covering 400,000 acres, the minimum required under a 2017 law.
This will be the second lease sale mandated by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, following a 2021 sale under the Trump administration that saw limited interest and legal challenges.
The Bureau of Land Management has limited the sale to areas with the highest oil potential, avoiding critical habitats for polar bears and caribou, and minimizing surface disturbance.
Environmental groups and some Indigenous communities, including the Gwich’in, have criticized the sale as a threat to wildlife, subsistence practices, and the climate, vowing to challenge it in court.
Supporters of drilling, including some Alaska political leaders and Iñupiat communities, expressed frustration with the restricted scope, arguing it undermines the economic potential of the region.