WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Wildlife Federation will continue to fight against oil and gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge after a U.S. District Court decided not to grant an injunction that would have prevented the U.S. Bureau of Land Management from selling leases of land in the coastal plain of the refuge.

“Drilling for oil in the Arctic’s coastal plain simply doesn’t make sense economically or ecologically. This decision means that the subsistence way of life for the Gwich’in and the critical Arctic habitat that support iconic wildlife will continue to be threatened by drilling,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “We will continue our fight in court, and look forward to working with the incoming Biden-Harris administration to permanently protect this crown jewel of wildlife refuges.”

In December, the National Wildlife Federation joined a coalition of Indigenous and conservation groups in filing a motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the planned seismic testing and January 6th lease sale.