Quick summary:
• The Biden administration plans to auction 400,000 acres in the Arctic Refuge’s Coastal Plain for oil and gas drilling on January 9, 2025.
• The lease sale fulfills a Trump-era law but risks disrupting Indigenous traditions, polar bear habitats, and the porcupine caribou migration.
• The Gwich’in Nation opposes drilling, citing threats to their culture and food security, while some Iñupiat leaders support it for economic benefits.
• Environmentalists warn drilling will accelerate climate change and destroy one of the planet’s last intact ecosystems.
• Industry skepticism remains high, with major banks and oil companies avoiding Arctic projects due to costs and public backlash.
• Trump’s incoming administration promises to expand drilling, framing the Arctic Refuge as central to American energy dominance.
• Indigenous groups and environmental advocates vow to fight to protect the Arctic Refuge, calling it a fight for cultural survival and global climate stability.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), one of the last untouched ecosystems on Earth, faces an uncertain future as plans for expanded oil and gas drilling take center stage. Spanning 19 million acres of pristine wilderness along Alaska’s north slope, the refuge is home to endangered polar bears, the 218,000-strong porcupine caribou herd, and millions of migratory birds. Now, a U.S. government-mandated oil and gas lease sale threatens to disrupt its delicate balance, reigniting fierce debates over environmental conservation, Indigenous rights, and the global climate crisis.
On January 9, 2025, the Biden administration is set to hold a lease sale for 400,000 acres in the refuge’s Coastal Plain. This decision comes as the administration races to fulfill the requirements of a Trump-era law, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which mandated two oil and gas lease sales in the region. The sale will occur just days before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, potentially complicating the incoming administration’s more aggressive plans for expanded drilling.
Environmental advocates, Indigenous leaders, and industry analysts are gearing up for a high-stakes confrontation over the fate of this fragile ecosystem. Meanwhile, Trump’s return to the presidency and his renewed commitment to “drill baby drill” promises to intensify these disputes, with the Arctic Refuge as a symbolic battleground.
The Coastal Plain, known as “Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit” or “the sacred place where life begins” by the Gwich’in Nation, is central to the cultural and spiritual identity of Indigenous communities. The porcupine caribou, which use the plain as calving grounds, provide sustenance and are deeply woven into the traditions of the Gwich’in people.
Kristen Moreland, executive director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee, described the profound connection between her community and the land. “Our way of life, our food security, and our spiritual well-being is directly tied to the health of the caribou and the health of this irreplaceable landscape.”
Yet, the proposed lease sale threatens to disturb this harmony. Environmental experts warn of catastrophic consequences for the region’s biodiversity. Drilling operations could destroy polar bear habitats, disrupt the caribou migration, and accelerate climate change. As Arctic temperatures rise nearly four times faster than the global average, melting permafrost releases greenhouse gases and destabilizes local ecosystems.
“Drilling puts the polar bears straight in harm’s way,” said Pat Lavin, Alaska policy adviser for Defenders of Wildlife. “It’s all risk and no reward.”
The debate over Arctic drilling has exposed rifts within Native Alaskan communities. While the Gwich’in Nation opposes drilling, citing the existential threat to their culture, some Iñupiat leaders on the North Slope support oil exploration for its potential economic benefits.
Josiah Patkotak, mayor of the North Slope Borough, criticized efforts to establish an Indigenous sacred site designation for the Coastal Plain, arguing it would infringe on Iñupiat lands and hinder development opportunities. “This is not about the protection of sacred sites,” he wrote. “It is about a federal government that thinks it knows better than the people who have lived on and cared for these lands since time immemorial.”
Kaktovik mayor Nathan Gordon Jr. echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the community’s reliance on oil revenues for safety and infrastructure improvements. He dismissed concerns about caribou disruption, stating, “We wouldn’t do anything to hurt our own herd.”
Despite political enthusiasm for Arctic drilling, industry experts remain skeptical about its viability. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that between 4.3 billion and 11.8 billion barrels of oil may lie beneath the Coastal Plain, but the logistical and financial challenges of accessing these reserves are immense.
Major banks, including Goldman Sachs, have already pledged not to finance Arctic oil projects, citing environmental concerns and public opposition. The first lease sale under Trump generated less than 1% of projected revenue, with most bids coming from small private companies and Alaska’s state development corporation.
“We think there is almost no rationale for Arctic exploration,” said Goldman Sachs commodity expert Michele Della Vigna. “Immensely complex, expensive projects like the Arctic we think can move too high on the cost curve to be economically doable.”
The Biden administration has sought to limit exploration while adhering to the legal mandates of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. By offering only 400,000 acres for leasing, it hopes to minimize ecological damage. However, Biden’s efforts to preserve the Arctic Refuge have faced criticism from both sides. Environmentalists argue that holding any lease sale undermines conservation efforts, while pro-drilling advocates accuse the administration of stifling economic growth.
Dan Ritzman of the Sierra Club underscored the stakes of the upcoming sale. “Letting Trump oversee a lease sale over these pristine lands would be beyond irresponsible. President Biden should listen to the Gwich’in and do all that he can to preserve these lands and waters. His legacy is on the line.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s incoming administration promises to undo these restrictions. Project 2025, the conservative Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for Trump’s second term, calls for expanded drilling across Alaska, including the Arctic Refuge. Trump has falsely claimed the refuge contains more oil than Saudi Arabia, framing the issue as a symbol of American energy dominance.
The Arctic Refuge represents more than a resource dispute; it is a flashpoint in the broader fight over climate change, Indigenous sovereignty, and environmental justice. For the Gwich’in Nation, the battle to protect the Coastal Plain is deeply personal. As Tonya Garnett of the Gwich’in Steering Committee said, “We’re ready to fight, to educate, and to go with a good heart. Because that’s what we have to do.”
Tell the Big Oil and the Trump administration not to bid for leases on the “sacred, unspoiled land” of the Arctic Refuge.
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