Alaska Arctic Refuge Oil Lease Sale Ends In Flop

Major oil corporations steered clear of the first oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska, which the Trump Administration opened for drilling and which, contrary to the administration’s expectations, drew very little interest. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received in the Wednesday action bids covering 552,802 acres at the oil and gas lease sale for the Coastal Plain of ANWR, half of the 1.1 million acres offered in the lease sale. BLM Alaska received 13 bids totaling $14.4 million. Out of the…