We Lost a Vote—But Not the Fight

Watching the budget bill pass hurt. There’s no way around it. 

Despite everything we poured into this fight—the long nights, the relentless pressure, the stories shared, the ground gained—Congress has once again sold-out Alaska and our public lands to billionaires.  

In a budget deal led by President Trump and his allies, we saw sweeping new mandates for Arctic drilling (among a slew of reckless policies), reinforcing a political obsession with oil over climate, Indigenous rights, and ecological integrity. 

What is in the Budget Bill? 

Since taking office, Arctic drilling has been a top priority for Trump-aligned lawmakers. Industry may have little appetite for development—especially after a failed lease sale—but the politics of extraction live on. What made it into the final version of the bill is deeply concerning: 

• Mandated lease sales: Four in the Arctic Refuge, five in the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska (Western Arctic), over the next 10 years. 

• Massive acreage: 400,000 acres per sale in the Refuge; 4 million in the Reserve—specifically targeting high-yield oil zones. 

• Outdated protections: Sales must follow unprotective Trump-era plans, including the 2020 plan that opened the entire Teshekpuk Lake Special Area and parts of Colville River Special Area to development. 

• Revenue bump: Starting in 2034, Alaska will receive 70% of oil revenues (up from 50%), giving the state more financial incentive to pursue drilling. 

But thanks to relentless pressure from our community and champions in Congress, some of the worst provisions were stripped: 

• No seismic permitting fast-track. 

• No automatic judicial protections for developers. 

• No legislative return of AIDEA’s failed leases. 

• No inclusion of the Ambler Road or public land sell-off language. 

This fight had defenders at every level—House Democrats led by Rep. Jared Huffman who filed critical amendments; Senators like Ed Markey and Martin Heinrich who stood strong on the floor; and thousands of you who made your voices heard. 

We didn’t stop the bill. But we softened the blow—and we’re not done yet. 

The Movement Is Still Growing 

This loss stings, but it doesn’t shake our commitment. For decades, the movement to protect the Arctic has weathered political cycles, oil booms, and broken promises. And yet, the Coastal Plain remains undeveloped. We’re still here. And we’re still fighting. 

Because this place is sacred. Across the Arctic—from the windswept tundra of the Arctic Refuge to the vast wetlands of the Western Arctic and the icy waters offshore—life endures in powerful, interconnected ways. It’s where caribou herds calve each spring. Where polar bears den, musk oxen roam, and millions of migratory birds return to nest. It’s where the Gwich’in and Iñupiat peoples have lived in relationship with the land and waters since time immemorial. America’s Arctic is more than a landscape. It’s a living sanctuary. 

This fight isn’t just about oil and politics. It’s about who we are. What we value. And whether we’re willing to stand up for the places that still offer stillness, space, and deep belonging. 

What’s Next? 

We’re regrouping. And we’re already planning our next moves—in courtrooms, in Congress, in corporate boardrooms, and across communities. 

At Alaska Wilderness League, we’re your eyes and ears in Washington, D.C., and your boots on the ground in Alaska. Whether it’s the Refuge, the Western Arctic, the Tongass, Bristol Bay, or the Arctic Ocean, we are tracking threats, pushing for protections, and building coalitions rooted in justice and long-term stewardship. 

We’re expanding our grassroots network, deepening partnerships with Tribes and frontline communities, and investing in the next generation of Arctic defenders. We’re doing the slow, quiet work—and the loud, strategic work—to make sure wild Alaska has a future. 

This vote may have passed, but this movement isn’t going anywhere. We’ll continue to fight for the caribou, the polar bears, the birds that connect continents, and for everyone who believes that some places are too precious to sacrifice. 

We’re still here. We’re still fighting. And we’re not giving up.