Trump Rushes To Lock In Oil Drilling In Arctic Wildlife Refuge Before Biden's Term

NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • December 3, 2020

In a last-minute push, the Trump administration announced Thursday that it will auction off drilling rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in just over a month, setting up a final showdown with opponents before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. The sale, which is now set for Jan. 6, could cap a bitter, decades-long battle over whether to drill in the coastal plain, a pristine expanse that's home to migrating caribou, polar bears and other wildlife. The Trump administration has made it a priority to open the land to development.