The Trump administration on Friday took another step toward expanding domestic energy production, auctioning drilling rights in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as part of a broader effort to boost domestic energy development.

The lease sale drew bids on five of about 60 tracts offered, with HEX Energy and the state-owned Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority submitting the only bids, according to The Hill.

The auction reportedly generated $3.7 million, with half the revenue designated for the state of Alaska.

The sale advances a long-term Republican goal of opening ANWR's Coastal Plain to oil and gas development.

Supporters have argued that increased drilling could strengthen U.S. energy security, create jobs, and provide economic benefits to Alaska.

Environmental activists, meanwhile, continue to oppose development in the region.

The Arctic refuge, in northeastern Alaska, is roughly the size of South Carolina and is home to diverse wildlife, including black, brown, and polar bears, caribou, wolves, wolverines, and more than 200 bird species.

The area also includes lands traditionally used by the Inupiat and Gwich'in people.

"This lease sale is another important step toward restoring American Energy Dominance and responsibly developing the vast resources Congress directed us to make available in the Coastal Plain," said Steve Pearce, director of the Bureau of Land Management, according to The Hill.

"These leases will help create jobs, generate significant revenue for Alaska and the nation and support the reliable domestic energy production Americans depend on every day," he added.

Congress first authorized lease sales in ANWR through the federal tax overhaul enacted during President Donald Trump's first term. That legislation required at least two lease sales in the refuge.

The first sale, held in the closing days of the first Trump administration, attracted only a limited number of bids. Those leases were later canceled by the Biden administration.

Although the Biden administration was also required under federal law to conduct a lease sale in ANWR, that auction failed to attract any bids.

Republicans renewed the push for energy development in the refuge through last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which requires at least four more lease sales in ANWR.

While Friday's auction attracted only a small number of bidders, it represents another step toward implementing congressional mandates aimed at expanding oil and natural gas development in one of the nation's most closely watched energy regions.