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Economy & Environment<br>Government & Politics<br>Indigenous Affairs

Controversial oil lease sale in Alaska wildlife refuge draws limited interest

Only five of 58 tracts offered in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge received bids, with none from any major oil companies, but drilling supporters deemed the auction a success

By:<br>Yereth Rosen<br>June 5, 2026<br>3:42 pm

The Canning River, seen here in 2018, flows from the Brooks Range into the Beaufort Sea along the western edge of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The river marks the boundary between the refuge, which is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and state land on the North Slope. Results of an oil lease sale that offered 58 tracts in the refuge's coastal plan drew bids on five tracts. The highest-dollar bid was for a tract right at the Canning River edge of the refuge's border with state land. (Photo by Lisa Hupp/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

A controversial oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge drew one big bid Friday from an independent Anchorage-based natural gas producer, along with a smattering of other bids from a state economic development agency.

HEX Energy LLC, which produces natural gas in Cook Inlet but has never operated on the North Slope, bid $1.7 million for a single lease bordering state territory on the western edge of the refuge’s coastal plain.

In all, five of the 58 tracts on offer received bids, all from HEX or the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, the state government’s economic development agency. HEX was the apparent winner of two tracts in total, while AIDEA was the winner of three, according to preliminary results. High bids for the sale totaled $3.74 million.

The sale was held under requirements of the sweeping tax and budget bill passed by Congress last year and known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The law mandates at least four ANWR lease sales through 2035, each offering at least 400,000 acres.

It was the third lease sale since 2021. In the first of those lease sales, held in the last days of the first Trump administration, no major oil companies bid and AIDEA was the main participant. In the second lease sale, held in 2025 in the last days of the Biden administration, there were no bids. AIDEA still holds six leases it acquired in 2021, but the agency has not done any exploration work on them.

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The tract for which HEX bid $1.7 million is the same one that drew the only oil company bid in the first ANWR lease sale held on Jan. 6, 2021. In that sale, Regenerate Energy, a subsidiary of Australia-based 88 Energy Ltd., bid $770,000. At the time, the company said it bid on the lease because it was close to a prospect called Yukon that it was exploring on adjacent state land. Regenerate Energy relinquished the lease in 2022.

After Friday’s sale results were revealed, development supporters and opponents had contrasting reactions: drilling boosters celebrated the results, while drilling opponents characterized the sale as a flop similar to the previous ANWR auctions.

Trump administration officials deemed the sale a success.

“While the history of this area is long on policy, a new era of active leasing and exploration is just beginning to unfold,” Kevin Pendergast, Alaska state director for the BLM, said in wrapup comments at the conclusion of the bid reading.

“We look forward to learning more about the subsurface of the area as leaseholders pursue exploration and ultimately to the next phase when, like the NPR-A to the west, this area’s full potential begins to be revealed and responsible development takes shape,” he said, referring to the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, which is also managed by the BLM and where there is active oil development and production underway.

The Hulahula River, seen on July 7, 2019, flows through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the Arctic Ocean. (Photo by Danielle Brigida/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

In a statement, BLM Director Steve Pearce contrasted the Trump administration policies to those of the Biden administration.

“This lease sale is another important step toward restoring American Energy Dominance and responsibly developing the vast resources Congress directed us to make available in the Coastal Plain,” Pearce said. “The previous administration did everything in its power to discourage industry from development in the Coastal Plain. The strong industry interest we saw today reflects confidence in Alaska’s resource potential and the Trump administration’s commitment to providing certainty for investment.

Inupiat organizations based on the North Slope, the majority of which support oil development in the refuge because of its potential economic benefits, also characterized the sale...