Congress Moves Forward on Arctic Land Sell-Off; Arctic Refuge CRA Passes House, Senate Vote Still Critical 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Date: November 18, 2025 
Contact: Anja Semanco | 724-967-2777 | anja@alaskawild.org 

Congress Moves Forward on Arctic Land Sell-Off; Arctic Refuge CRA Passes House, Senate Vote Still Critical 

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congress took a major step advancing the Trump administration’s agenda to sell off some of our nation’s most treasured public lands in the Arctic—not for the American people, but for industry. Two Congressional Review Acts (CRAs) moved forward: the Western Arctic CRA, which passed through the Senate on 10/30 and received a final passing vote in the House today, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge CRA, which has yet to be voted on by the Senate. 

While the Arctic Refuge CRA passed the House today, the bi-partisan opposition demonstrated some lawmakers are listening to science, economics, and the overwhelming public support for permanent protection of this iconic landscape. We thank the 209 Members of Congress who opposed the CRA, standing up for the Arctic Refuge, Indigenous communities, and future generations  

“While the House vote today is a setback, I applaud the lawmakers who voted with the science, the voices of the Gwich’in people, and the overwhelming public demand to protect the Arctic Refuge,” said Alex Cohen, government affairs director at Alaska Wilderness League. “The fight is far from over. The CRA now moves to the Senate, where there is still a real opportunity to protect this irreplaceable landscape. Two failed lease sales shows us even industry understands drilling in the Arctic Refuge is bad for business. Its now on the Senate to do the right thing and stop playing politics with our public lands.” 

Direct Impacts from the Arctic Refuge CRA 

• The Arctic Refuge’s coastal plain—1.6 million acres of irreplaceable wilderness—is the calving ground of the Porcupine Caribou herd. Under the previous Trump administration, the Bureau of Land Management rushed through the most destructive leasing plan possible, opening the entire coastal plain to oil and gas development while ignoring both science and Indigenous voices calling for protections.  

• The 2024 ROD, finalized under then President Biden in December of last year, officially replaced the Trump administration’s 2020 leasing program. The Biden administration recognized flaws in the Trump-era plan, and how it was incompatible with protecting wildlife, Indigenous rights, and other Refuge mandates.   

• If passed, this resolution would inject uncertainty in future Arctic Refuge lease sales. 

Direct impacts from the Western Arctic CRA: 

• Teshekpuk Lake Special Area (≈3.65 million acres): Was protected from leasing and surface development critical for caribou calving and migratory birds. CRA rollback would open over 1.5 million acres to industrial activity.  

• Colville River Special Area (≈2.44 million acres): Was closed to leasing and protected for raptor nesting cliffs and riparian ecosystems. CRA rollback would remove Special Area designation for this area.  

• Utukok River Uplands (≈7.1 million acres): Was off-limits under most recent plan to protect Western Arctic Caribou Herd calving grounds. CRA rollback would reopen roughly half to drilling.  

• Peard Bay (≈107,000 acres) and Kasegaluk Lagoon (≈197,000 acres): Critical habitat for waterfowl, seals, and beluga whales at risk under industrial development. 

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Photo Credit: Kim Elton