Trump Administration Sets Date For ANWR Lease Sale
On December 3, the Trump administration announced that it will auction off drilling rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) starting on January 6 via an online livestream session. The sales were made possible by a provision in the federal tax overhaul bill that was signed into law in 2017.
The leases might not be the final word on the matter, however.
According to the Washington, D.C.-based newspaper Roll Call, the incoming Biden administration will need to review the bids for the leases, and also will examine the permits that companies will have to apply for and obtain before drilling can begin.
As a result, Kristen Monsell from the Center for Biological Diversity told the newspaper that the Biden administration ultimately “could block approval to drill.” The Biden administration also could “revoke the lease sales if, for example, it found the leases are against the public interest or would cause too much environmental harm.”