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Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is Not for Sale

Floor Speech

By: Raul Ruiz
By: Raul Ruiz
Date: June 11, 2026
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with an important message for the Trump administration: The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is not for sale.

For the third time, they have tried to sell off the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to Big Oil, and for the third time, it has flopped.

Last Friday's lease sale brought in less than 1 percent of projected revenue. Not one major oil company even showed up, and for good reason.

Last summer, I traveled to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I fished its rivers, walked its Coastal Plain, and watched musk ox roam one of the last truly wild places on Earth.

Mr. Speaker, I can speak with firsthand experience when I say that this place is simply too special to drill, too important for the animal ecosystem and global bird migrations, and too critical for indigenous cultural preservation.

Our public lands belong to the American people, not to the highest bidder. When the highest bidder doesn't even show up, maybe it is time this administration got the message.

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