Overview
- BLM said Friday it will auction oil and gas leases on ANWR’s Coastal Plain on June 5, with at least 400,000 acres up for bid.
- The sale is the first of four required under the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which orders auctions across a roughly 1.5 million-acre section by 2035.
- Acting BLM Director Bill Groffy pointed to last month’s National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska auction, which drew hundreds of bids, as a sign of strong demand.
- A prior ANWR sale in January 2025 drew no bids, and a separate Cook Inlet sale last month also found no takers, highlighting uncertain interest from companies.
- Gwich'in leaders call the coastal plain sacred caribou calving grounds and plan more lawsuits to stop drilling, while Kaktovik’s leaders support leasing because local services depend on oil tax revenue.