Washington, DC – January 8, 2025 – Congress Mandate Other Leasing Sales to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Arctic refuge) was a Total failureWithout received bid. This development confirms what has always been true: the Arctic refuge is a place where wildlife and people come first and not drill. For mysterious times, Gwich’in and other indigenous people have been dependent on this country, and it is still a haven for caribou, muskoxen, polar bears, millions of wandering birds and countless other species. The future of the Arctic refuge lies in its continued protection and management – not as a place for exploitation.
“President Biden will leave the office of 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 Trestacey 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 congressman mandate for the sale of oil and gas lease for the Arctic Coastal Coastal Lettle would occur on January 10, 2025, after a national mourning day for President Jimmy Carter. It is appropriate that this news comes when the nation honors President Carter, a strong spokesman for Alaska’s Wildlands, whose landmark conservation performance, Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (Anilca), protected more than 100 million hectares of public countries. According to Anilca, the Arctic refuge was expanded from 8.9 million acres to its current 19.3 million acres, which established the Arctic refuge as we know it today. Despite the efforts of operating interests in Congress, no bids were submitted by January 6, 2025.
This is not the first time lease in the Arctic refuge that has been flop. The Trump administration held the first leasing sale on January 6, 2021 and attracted no major oil companies. In fact, the two oil companies offering invited their leases to be canceled and repaid their money. The only other bidder for this sale was Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, and their leases were canceled due to legal deficiencies.
The Arctic refuge is one of the crown jewels of national wildlife refuge system, home to a large and interconnected ecosystem with a remarkable diversity of wildlife. Its coastal plain acts as calving areas for the Porcupine Caribou herd, a species that is central to the culture and nourishment of the Gwich’in people. Gwich’in has long opposed oil development in the Arctic refuge that recognizes the critical role this landscape plays in their lifestyle and the health of the wildlife that depend on it.
“Drilling in the Arctic national wildlife refuge is bad for Gwich’in and other indigenous peoples who depend on the country and the animals in the region; it is bad for wildlife; it is bad for the planet; and it is clear, it is 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 unshakable in our commitment to permanently protecting the Arctic national wildlife refuge for indigenous peoples, wildlife and the American people of future generations.
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As the leading independent voice advocating on behalf of the National Wildlife Refuge System, protects, promotes and improves the National Wildlife Refuge Association beyond its borders that serve the system and wildlife beyond its borders. The organization addresses the refuge system’s funding, management and strategic growth while promoting programs that maximize the system’s conservation impact.
For all media inquiries and questions, contact Eden Taylor, Director of Communication and Marketing at etaylor@refugeassociation.org.