Debate heats up over second ANWR oil lease sale scheduled for January | Homepage [Video]

The debate over oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is intensifying once again. Following a 2017 law, the Biden administration is preparing for a second lease sale to explore oil and gas in a small section of the Refuge, scheduled for January.

The first sale in 2021 had minimal interest and financial return. The announcement of the new lease sale has drawn criticism from both sides.

Rick Whitbeck of Power Performance Strategies, a business and energy consulting firm supporting drilling, expressed frustration, calling the move “the bare minimum” and suggesting the administration is only complying due to the mandate.

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy responded on Facebook: “The Biden administration has cloaked its latest sanction on Alaska as a lease sale in ANWR. The truth is this lease sale is designed to fail. It limits exploration to the largest extent possible while trying to pass it off as following the law passed by Congress to …