An Alaska judge has ruled against a request for an injunction against a lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska scheduled for today, letting the tender proceed.

The AP reports that District Judge Sharon Gleason motivated her decision with failure on the part of the plaintiffs—environmentalists and Native American communities—to show the likelihood of harm, which is a necessary prerequisite for an injunction.

The Trump administration first floated plans to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas drilling last year, as part of its energy self-sufficiency agenda. The news understandably caused an outcry among environmental groups and some Native American communities.

The Alaska Wilderness League reported last year that 70 percent of Americans are against oil and gas drilling in the ANWR, adding, “The world remains mired in a global pandemic and the oil markets are experiencing continued volatility, yet this administration has once again opted to barrel forward with unnecessarily aggressive oil and gas development.”

It is questionable what interest the industry will have in the lease sale, however. Growing pressure from investors for greater environmental responsibility is one reason, and another is bank’s pullout from funding Arctic oil and gas exploration projects, limiting the industry’s access to financing.

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Source: Oil Price