ANWR Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

After Decades-Long Push, It’s Not Clear Who Will Bid In Arctic Refuge Oil Lease Sale

By NPR News January 2, 2021

A polar bear with cubs in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in 2014. Barcroft Media/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

Just two weeks before President-elect Joe Biden takes office, the Trump administration is trying to lock-in oil and gas drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with a hastily scheduled and controversial lease sale. But despite the high stakes, uncertainty looms over how much oil is actually trapped under the million acres of tundra up for leasing, and how much Read More

Trump Administration Rushes To Lock In Arctic Wildlife Refuge Drilling Before Biden’s Term

By NPR News December 3, 2020

Caribou from the Porcupine Caribou Herd migrate onto the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. The refuge has long been eyed for oil exploration. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/AP

The Jan. 6 auction was set before the end of the comment and nominations period. If leases are finalized before Joe Biden takes office, they could be difficult to revoke.Read More

Trump Administration Rushes To Sell Oil Rights In Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

By NPR News November 17, 2020

An airplane flies over caribou on the coastal plain of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where the Trump administration is moving to sell leases for oil drilling. CREDIT: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/AP

Officials hope to auction off leases before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. He has pledged to protect the pristine landscape that's home to polar bears and migrating caribou. Read More

Federal Interior Department Official Who Pushed Arctic Drilling Joins Oil Company In Alaska

By NPR News September 5, 2019

Joe Balash, left, after a meeting earlier this year in Arctic Village, where some oppose oil drilling in nearby Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. CREDIT: Nat Herz/Alaska's Energy Desk

Joe Balash, a top U.S. Interior Department appointee who pushed to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil leasing, is taking a job with an oil company seeking to develop a major project in Alaska.Read More