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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 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 of the refuge's coastal plain. Development of leases 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 in a request to halt the Trump administration from issuing the leases in the first place. Litigators argue 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 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. Near Christmas, Alaska's state-owned economic development corporation agreed to spend up to $20 million to buy leases 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.
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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.”
