Trump Opens Entire Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain for Oil Drilling

The Trump administration opened the entire 1.56-million-acre coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas leasing, overriding environmental protections that had limited drilling to specific areas. The move came despite a previous lease sale in 2021 that attracted zero qualifying bids from oil companies, suggesting limited commercial interest. Environmental groups and the Gwich'in Nation, whose lands border the refuge, immediately announced legal challenges.