During President Trump’s first term, Congress mandated two oil and gas lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as part of a budget reconciliation package known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Both of those lease sales failed, however, according to the non-partisan non-profit Taxpayers for Common Sense.

“Federal lease sales in the Arctic Refuge have not and will not be a credible fiscal offset for budget reconciliation for the foreseeable future,” the non-profit wrote in a recent blog post about the economic feasibility of mandated drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Proponents argue that mandating drilling in the refuge via the federal budget bill would generate nearly $1 billion over the next ten years. They say drilling projects would provide local jobs and decrease US reliance on foreign oil.

But a new poll released by Taxpayers for Common Sense and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers indicates strong bi-partisan support for protecting northern Alaska from costly oil and gas drilling.

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