WASHINGTON, DC – January 8th, 2025 – The congressionally mandated second lease sale for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Arctic Refuge) was a total failure, with no bids received. This development reaffirms what has always been true: the Arctic Refuge is a place where wildlife and people come first, not drilling. For time immemorial, the Gwich’in and other Indigenous Peoples have depended on this land, and it remains a sanctuary for caribou, muskoxen, polar bears, millions of migratory birds, and countless other species. The future of the Arctic Refuge lies in its continued protection and stewardship— not as a site for exploitation.
“President Biden will leave office with ZERO development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,” said Desirée Sorenson-Groves, President and CEO of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. “We thank President Biden, Secretary Haaland, Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis, FWS Director Martha Williams and BLM Director Tracey Stone-Manning and everyone in the Biden Administration for their hard work to protect this truly remarkable place for now and the future.”
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced the bid opening for the second congressionally mandated oil and gas lease sale for the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge would occur on January 10, 2025 following a National Day of Mourning for President Jimmy Carter. It is fitting that this news comes as the nation honors President Carter, a staunch advocate for Alaska’s wildlands whose landmark conservation achievement, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), protected more than 100 million acres of public lands. Under ANILCA, the Arctic Refuge was expanded from 8.9 million acres to its current 19.3 million acres, establishing the Arctic Refuge as we know it today. Despite efforts by pro-drilling interests in Congress, no bids were submitted by the January 6, 2025 deadline.
This is not the first time lease sales in the Arctic Refuge have flopped. The Trump Administration held the first lease sale on January 6, 2021 and attracted no major oil companies. In fact, the two oil companies who bid, asked for their leases to be cancelled and to be refunded their money. The only other bidder at that sale was the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority and their leases were cancelled due to legal deficiencies.
The Arctic Refuge is one of the crown jewels of the National Wildlife Refuge System, home to a vast and interconnected ecosystem with remarkable diversity of wildlife. Its Coastal Plain serves as the calving grounds for the Porcupine Caribou Herd, a species central to the culture and sustenance of the Gwich’in people. The Gwich’in have long opposed oil development in the Arctic Refuge recognizing the critical role this landscape plays in their way of life and the health of wildlife that depend on it.
“Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is bad for the Gwich’in and other Indigenous Peoples who depend on the land and animals in the region; it’s bad for wildlife; it’s bad for the planet; and clearly, it’s bad for business,” said Sorenson-Groves. “It’s time to protect the Arctic Refuge once and for all and take drilling off the table.”
The National Wildlife Refuge Association remains unwavering in our commitment to permanently protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for Indigenous peoples, wildlife and the American people for generations to come.
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As the leading independent voice advocating on behalf of the National Wildlife Refuge System, the National Wildlife Refuge Association protects, promotes, and enhances America’s wildlife heritage through strategic programs that serve the System and wildlife beyond its boundaries. The organization addresses Refuge System funding, management, and strategic growth, while also promoting programs that maximize the system’s conservation impact.
For all media inquiries and questions, please contact Eden Taylor, Director of Communications & Marketing at etaylor@refugeassociation.org.