Trump offered 689,000 protected Arctic acres to drillers. Only 72,000 leased — and the new buyers have barely set foot in the Arctic

The sale included 58 tracts, but generated only $3.7 million in nine winning bids covering five tracts. The highest ⁠individual bid was $1.7 million. Only two entities participated: Hex Energy LLC., which submitted the largest winning bid, and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA).

Those companies that acquired leases reportedly have little or no history of drilling in Alaska’s Arctic. However, the lease sale was part of a broader effort to open more federal land to fossil fuel development, particularly in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The outcome has renewed questions about the commercial viability of Arctic drilling and whether energy companies are willing to invest in one of the world’s most challenging oil-producing regions. It also raises the question of whether they’ll drill or not.

While supporters argue that expanded drilling could strengthen American energy production and create jobs, critics point to the limited industry response as evidence that Arctic development remains economically uncertain, environmentally contentious and ethically controversial.

Industry interest falls short of expectations

ANWR has held three lease sales under federal mandates. The first occurred in January 2021 and generated $16.5 million. The second, in January 2025, received no bids. The third sale attracted less interest than the first.

Of the nearly 689,000 acres offered, companies bid on only about 72,000 acres. That means roughly 90% of the available land attracted no successful bids.

The muted response comes despite years of efforts by Trump administration officials and congressional allies to promote expanded development in Alaska’s Arctic. Advocates have argued that opening more federal land would unleash investment and help secure America’s energy future.

“From day one, President Trump directed us to unlock Alaska’s energy and resource potential while honoring commitments to the state and local communities,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in a 2025 statement. “By reopening the Coastal Plain [of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas leasing] and advancing key infrastructure, we are strengthening energy independence, creating jobs and supporting Alaska’s communities while driving economic growth across the state.”

In 2025, the government reopened 1.56 million acres of the Coastal Plain to oil and gas leasing, reversing the Biden administration’s 2024 plan that had limited development to the statutory minimum of 400,000 acres. The move aligned with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law in July 2025, which requires at least four new lease sales in the refuge by 2035.

The Trump administration also reinstated previously rescinded leases and removed some environmental impact statement requirements in an effort to facilitate expansion into the refuge.

“With the new decision in place, bolstered by Congress’ recent and emphatic direction in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, this lease sale process provides a clear path forward to finally unlock the Coastal Plain’s resource potential,” Alaska Bureau of Land Management State Director Kevin Pendergast said in a press release surrounding the first lease sale.

But Arctic oil projects require massive investments in infrastructure, transportation and environmental compliance. Companies must also contend with extreme weather, short construction seasons and the logistical challenges of operating in remote locations far from existing energy networks.

Those factors can make Arctic projects less attractive than opportunities in regions where drilling infrastructure is already established, and production costs are lower.

Environmental and ethical concerns

Environmental advocates argue the offered lands include habitats for caribou, polar bears, migratory birds and other Arctic wildlife. They say even limited development could disrupt sensitive ecosystems that are already under pressure from rapid climate change. Roads, pipelines, airstrips and infrastructure needed to drill can fragment habitats and disrupt migration routes, while increasing the risk of greenhouse emissions and oil spills.

Some groups contend the administration’s actions violate several environmental laws, including the Endangered Species Act (ESA), National Environmental Policy Act, National Wildlife Refuge Act, Wilderness Act, Alaska National Interest Lands Act and Administrative Procedure Act.

“One of the issues is that the administration failed to ensure that threatened Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears and the habitat they depend on will not be harmed,” writes Earth Justice, an advocacy group that sued the first Trump administration when it opened a “sacred area to drilling.” In January, the group restarted that litigation to “protect the refuge from this new assault.”

The group describes the Coastal Plain as “irreplaceable wildlife habitat and sacred indigenous land.”

“The government acknowledges that the program is likely to lead to the death of dozens of polar bear cubs, yet it gave its stamp of approval and declined to impose adequate protective measures for the bears,” Earth Justice continues in the post about protecting the Arctic. “The Coastal Plain is also the calving ground for the Porcupine Caribou Herd and supports millions of migratory birds, marine mammals, muskox, fish and more.”

Scientists note that the Arctic is warming roughly four times faster than the global average. They argue that developing new fossil fuel reserves could generate an estimated 3.5 trillion tons of additional greenhouse gas emissions at a time when governments are trying to reduce them. According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), nearly one-quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions come from fossil fuels extracted from public lands.

While some Alaska Native groups support development because of the jobs and revenue it could generate, many Indigenous communities worry industrial activity could threaten traditional hunting and fishing grounds as well as subsistence lifestyles that have existed for generations.

“For the Gwich’in people who have relied on the caribou herd since time immemorial, this land is spiritually and culturally essential,” Earth Justice writes.

The Environmental and Energy Institute reports that ocean acidity has increased by 30% over the past 150 years due to greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, posing risks to fisheries, one of Alaska’s major industries.