EventExxonMobil won 24 leases in the March 2026 National Petroleum Reserve‑Alaska auction, totaling $163 million. A federal lawsuit by Nuiqsut residents protecting Teshekpuk Lake caribou habitat has tied up 17 of those plots, and a judge’s injunction has blocked the Bureau of Land Management from issuing them while Trump officials withdraw an appeal.
ExxonMobil won 24 leases in a March auction of the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska, but most are blocked by a federal lawsuit from Indigenous residents protecting Teshekpuk Lake caribou habitat, leaving the company’s bids still unissued while the Trump administration has withdrawn an appeal and the case moves toward a court decision.
ExxonMobil won a majority of leases in the March 2026 auction of Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, but most are now barred by federal court orders after a lawsuit from the Iñupiaq village of Nuiqsut and its Native corporation.
After winning 24 leases near Teshekpuk Lake in March 2026, ExxonMobil's access to the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska is now blocked by a federal judge over Indigenous conservation concerns. The litigation could set precedent for oil development and subsistence rights across the North Slope.
ExxonMobil won dozens of lease auctions in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve – a development that remains stalled as federal courts block issuance due to lawsuits from the Nuiqsut community, underscoring the clash between oil expansion and Indigenous subsistence protections.
ExxonMobil’s winning bids on 24 National Petroleum Reserve‑Alaska lease plots remain unissued after a federal judge halted issuance due to lawsuits by Indigenous residents over Teshekpuk Lake protections. The dispute leaves most of the 1,500‑square‑mile reserve in legal limbo amid tensions between oil development and subsistence hunting.
