February 2, 2018: "A coalition of environmental groups is challenging the federal government's move to lease lands for oil and gas drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.
Last fall, the Interior Department announced it would auction off all available oil and gas production areas — covering more than 10 million acres — in the NPR-A. The sale, which took place in December 2017, attracted few bids, although companies such as ConocoPhillips Co. have expressed interest in operating in the area (Energywire, Dec. 7, 2017).
Under representation from the law firm Trustees for Alaska, the Northern Alaska Environmental Center, the Alaska Wilderness League, Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society are alleging that the Trump administration did not properly assess the possible impact oil and gas activity would have on the region's flora and fauna."
Source: E&E News