U.S. Advances Arctic Refuge Drilling, Izembek Road | JQJO

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum finalized plans to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s 1.5 million-acre coastal plain to potential oil and gas drilling, restoring previously canceled leases and clearing the way for future sales promised by President Donald Trump. The move, welcomed by Alaska leaders and Kaktovik’s Iñupiat corporation but opposed by Gwich’in communities and conservation groups, follows a judge’s ruling that the Biden administration lacked authority to void leases. Burgum also completed a land exchange to build a road through Izembek Refuge, a project backed as a life-and-safety issue and headed for fresh court challenges.