The Trump administration on Tuesday will publish a call for oil and gas firms to pick spots where they want to drill in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It appears to be part of a last-minute dash to auction off the rights before President-elect Joe Biden, who would likely try to block the controversial drilling authorization, takes office in January, The Washington Post reports.
Ultimately, many firms may choose not to bid at all, considering the lack of infrastructure in the region and the potential public backlash that would come with it, the Post notes, so the effort may prove futile regardless of whether the Trump administration beats the de facto deadline. But even if sales are completed, it often takes several weeks for the Bureau of Land Management to scan the highest bids for ethical and legal issues before granting contracts, Erik Grafe, the deputy managing attorney for the Alaska office of Earthjustice, told the Post, so the Biden administration "may be able to avoid issuing them" if the deals aren't finalized by the inauguration.
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