Washington AG files brief opposing drilling in Arctic

Amanda Zhou, The Seattle Times on Jun 23, 2026

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Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown filed an amicus brief Tuesday in three lawsuits opposing a decision by the Trump administration to allow oil and gas development in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The three lawsuits specifically have to do with the coastal plain of the refuge and were filed by Alaska Native villages and environmental nonprofits like Earthjustice and the National Resources Defense Council.

According to the attorney general's office, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the national's largest, consisting of 1.6 million acres of habitat for species like polar bears, caribou and migratory birds.

The amicus brief is the latest development in a yearslong legal battle between the Trump administration and environmental advocates and Indigenous communities over oil and gas leases in the coastal plain in the refuge.

In 2020, the Trump administration opened the area to oil and gas leasing but only received three bids the following year, according to the National Resources Defense Council. The effort was further thwarted after President Joe Biden took office, but was promptly put back in play after Trump was reelected.

In October, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that the coastal plain of the refuge would be opened to oil and gas leasing, leading the Alaska Native villages and environmental nonprofits to amend their original 2020 lawsuits, according to Earthjustice.

The amicus brief filed by Brown and 13 other attorneys general argues that the oil and gas leasing program will harm migratory birds and increase greenhouse gas emissions in their states. The brief also alleges that the Bureau of Land Management filed a rushed and incomplete environmental review and did not comply with existing laws around national wildlife refuges.

The brief states that 157 bird species have been recorded in the refuge and species like Pacific loons, western sandpipers and gold plovers migrate between California, Oregon, Washington and the coastal plains of the refuge. Hunting and wildlife watching contributes around $2 billion annually to Washington's economy, according to the brief.

The brief also cites climate change's devastating impacts to states including rising sea levels, extreme weather events and ocean acidification.

The oil and gas leasing program has been challenged by the Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, the Gwich'in Steering Committing and Earthjustice, the National Resources Defense Counsel, the Center for Biological Diversity and others.

According to the attorney general's office, Brown led the coalition of 13 other attorneys general, including those in California and Oregon.

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