House bill would end ANWR drilling and lock away 1.56 million acres as wilderness

What does this do?

HR 3067 would cancel the oil and gas drilling program inside the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that was created by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. All existing leases, permits, and development plans in the area would be voided. Approximately 1.56 million acres of the refuge's coastal plain would be permanently designated as federally protected wilderness under the Wilderness Act, banning roads, buildings, vehicles, and most commercial activity.

Who does it affect?

Energy companies holding or seeking ANWR leases and the state of Alaska, which would lose potential drilling revenue, are most directly affected. Indigenous communities in the region, particularly the Gwich'in and Iñupiat peoples, would also be affected, and the two groups hold different views on drilling there.

Why does it matter?

Wilderness designation would permanently restrict commercial and industrial use of the 1.56 million acres under federal law. The bill's outcome could indirectly affect American energy consumers and the broader oil industry depending on how much oil the refuge might have produced.

Where does it stand?