Gwich’in and environmental opponents celebrate the results, while state officials expect the incoming Trump administration to make it easier to drill in the refuge.

No companies bid for the chance to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It was the second auction in four years that failed to draw strong interest.

The U.S. state of Alaska has sued the Biden administration for what it calls violations of a Congressional directive to allow oil and gas development in a portion of the federal Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).