Trump Schedules Oil Lease Sale in Arctic Wildlife Refuge

The Trump administration plans to offer at least 400,000 acres in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas drilling rights in June, marking its first such sale in the rugged area prized for its rich wildlife.

The move targets the refuge’s oil and gas-rich Coastal Plain and follows a decision by the Interior Department to lift drilling restrictions imposed by former President Joe Biden. It also advances a requirement in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which mandates at least four lease sales in the area by 2035.