** Arctic lease sale barrels into new year
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Monday, January 4, 2021
Caribou graze on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in front of the Brooks Range | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ([link removed])

As 2020 shifts into 2021, the fight continues over a controversial oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Trump administration has rushed through the process ([link removed]) to drill the region, one of the last and largest expanses of intact natural ecosystem in the United States.

The Bureau of Land Management plans to open bidding for leases this Wednesday, which cover about 1 million acres ([link removed]) of the refuge's coastal plain. Development of leases ([link removed]) in the sensitive area could threaten polar bears, the Porcupine caribou herd that is central to native culture, and other animals, in addition to exacerbating climate change impacts on the rapidly changing Arctic.

Today, a federal court will hear arguments ([link removed]) in a request to halt the Trump administration from issuing the leases in the first place. Litigators argue ([link removed]) that the federal government has failed to properly consider the impact of potential greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas development, as well as that the Interior Department has not jumped through necessary hoops to drill in the designated refuge.

However, drilling bids from the fossil fuel industry may be meager ([link removed]) even if the lease sale continues forward. Drilling in such a remote part of Alaska is inconvenient and expensive, not to mention toxic in the public eye. Such action carries corporate reputational risk. Many major banks have also vowed not to finance such drilling, complicating development efforts. Taking all factors into account, there is little indication that oil companies are interested in the leases, especially as the industry struggles to pull out of a major downturn.

One of the only bidders may be the state of Alaska itself ([link removed]) . Near Christmas, Alaska's state-owned economic development corporation agreed to spend up to $20 million to buy leases ([link removed]) in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. There was significant opposition to the decision, with many pointing out that the board gave the public only two days of notice during the holidays in a blatant attempt to rush the decision through. With low drilling interest at the moment, Alaska would likely hope to reassign purchased leases to companies later on.
Quick hits


** The first Native American Interior Secretary: can she reset the troubled relationship between the federal government and Indigenous peoples?
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Washington Post ([link removed]) | New York Times [Opinion] ([link removed])


** New Mexico's outdoor recreation industry could be key to recovery from COVID-19
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Carlsbad Current-Argus ([link removed])


** Judge taps brakes on drilling in Utah wilderness on eve of federal OK, creates press dust-up
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed]) | Deseret News ([link removed])


** Opinion: Oil and gas does more harm than good as Hispanic communities bear brunt of drilling impacts
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Las Cruces Sun News ([link removed])


** Huge energy project advances; companies plan to drill 5,000 wells in eastern Wyoming
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Casper Star-Tribune ([link removed])


** Wall Street eyes billions in Colorado's water
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Research finds human development, fossil fuel infrastructure, can block migration routes
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Missoula Current ([link removed])


** Interior Secretary Bernhardt eviscerated environmental protections over the past four years; courts pushed back
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E&E News ([link removed]) (Bernhardt's 4 years) ([link removed]) | E&E News (2020 in court rulings) ([link removed])
Quote of the day
We understand outdoor recreation in New Mexico is a powerhouse. It’s going to be key to our recovery... It’s an effort to diversify the economy throughout New Mexico. It’s growing faster. Let’s work to make it one of our economic lynch-pins. While we’re at it, let’s improve access to outdoor resources that improve our mental health and environment as well.”
—Axie Navas, New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division Director, C ([link removed]) arlsbad Current-Argus ([link removed])
Picture this


** @U ([link removed]) SFWSRefuges ([link removed])
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As we turn the page on 2020, let us be grateful for the ways national wildlife refuges make life better: [link removed] ([link removed])
Bison Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Colorado By John Carr/@USFWS ([link removed])

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