The Trump administration on Wednesday found few takers at its sale of drilling leases in a pristine Arctic wildlife refuge, with an Alaska state agency emerging as the sole bidder for most of the acreage. The sale's weak results were sure to be a disappointment to Alaska's decades-long effort to open up drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to attract jobs and boost the state's waning oil production. Environmental groups that have sued to block energy development in ANWR declared the sale a massive failure. The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority was the sole bidder on at least eight of the 12 tracts. Conservation groups also have fought drilling in the refuge.

Source: CBC News January 06, 2021 20:08 UTC