"The Trump administration may have a road map for holding the first oil and gas lease sale in the history of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but it's keeping the plan under wraps, current and former Interior Department staffers say.

Buying oil and gas development rights in the refuge would be perhaps the biggest oil industry breakthrough on Alaska's North Slope since the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System started carrying crude in 1977.

The Trump administration finalized an environmental review of its leasing plan for ANWR last September, promising a sale by the end of 2019.

That didn't happen."

Heather Richards and Scott Streater report for E&E News August 10, 2020. [2]