Sierra Club Statement on the Failure of the Cook Inlet Lease Sale

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Today, the Department of the Interior announced not a single bid had been placed for the Trump Administration's first Alaskan oil and gas lease sale.

The Cook Inlet-focused sale was set to be the first of six required by Trump's 2025 budget reconciliation law. More than a million acres of federal waters were available for bids - with no takers.

This is not the first time an offshore lease sale in Alaska has generated minimal interest from oil and gas companies. The most recent offshore lease sale in Alaska was held in 2022 and yielded only one bid.

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to "drill, baby, drill," if he recaptured the White House. The United States was already producing a record amount of oil before Trump returned to the White House.

In response, Athan Manuel, director of Sierra Club's Lands Protection Program, released the following statement:

"Like so many previous Trump ventures, this lease sale was a big, fat failure. Even oil and gas companies recognize that leasing in dangerous, undeveloped areas is all risk and little reward. Local opposition and corporate disinterest should make it clear that we need to focus on preserving Alaskan lands and waters for future generations, not chase an illusion that's out of step with reality."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.