As early as November 3, 2020, news outlets began reporting on the sale of chunks of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to be used to drill for oil. This marks one of the largest moves President Trump has made against the welfare of the environment and the Republican party has called this one of the most historic moments in history.

Many environmentalists fought against the sale of this land by filing a preliminary injunction (which is one of the first pieces needed to file a lawsuit) but were denied. Now with just over 55,000 acres of land sold, and approximately $14.4 million dollars paid, the sales did not bring in the revenue expected. Many banks did not want to finance “Arctic energy projects” and major fuel companies have begun to switch to cleaner energy sources. According to the Washington Post, the pandemic has also caused a slump in oil prices and less of a demand for oil. Another hitch in the Republicans’ plan is the fact that President Trump will be leaving office on January 20, 2021, and President-elect Joe Biden (who is a Democrat) will be sworn in. Since the oil drilling will not be occurring for quite a few years, that will allow President-elect Joe Biden a chance to potentially stop the oil drilling. Even with all of these animals’ lives and homes hanging in the balance, no one will know if this will truly happen for at least another year.