WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd December, 2020) US President Donald Trump's administration will hold an auction for drilling rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on January 6, the Bureau of Land Management announced in a release on Thursday.
Trump fast-tracked the process to get the sale done before the January 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who opposes drilling in the refuge, media reported earlier in November.
"Today, the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) announced its Notice of Sale for the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)," the release said. "The Federal Register Notice is scheduled to publish on December 7, setting up the lease sale to be conducted on January 6, 2021 via video livestream."
Drilling in the ANWR was banned under previous administrations until Republicans passed legislation in 2017 that opened up 800,000 acres for lease to oil and gas companies.
