The Trump administration on Friday auctioned off rights to drill in a pristine wildlife refuge in Alaska, but the lease sale attracted only two bidders on a few tracts of land.

Of the about 60 tracts of land opened up for leasing by the Trump administration, only five received bids. Only Hex Energy and the state-owned Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority bid on tracts.

Overall, the lease sale netted about $3.7 million, half of which will go to the state of Alaska.

Friday’s auction advances Republicans’ long-awaited and long-delayed goal of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), despite pushback from environmental advocates. However, the small number of  bids and bidders also demonstrates limited corporate interest in drilling in the controversial spot.

The Arctic refuge is in Alaska’s northeast corner and is on the traditional homelands of the Iñupiat and Gwichʼin peoples.

It’s about the size of South Carolina and contains wildlife including black, brown and polar bears, caribou, wolves, wolverines and more than 200 species of birds.

Whether or not to drill there has been the subject of significant partisan debate. Supporters of drilling say it could help the local economy and add to the nation’s supply of oil. Opponents argue that drilling in such an ecologically sensitive area is not necessary and say the lands should be conserved.

The Trump administration celebrated the lease sale in a written statement, saying it would advance the country’s oil interest.

“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 Bureau of Land Management Director Steve Pearce. “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.”

During the first Trump administration, the president’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act required at least two lease sales to be held at ANWR. The first of those sales, held at the very end of his first term, also netted just a few bids.

The resulting leases were later canceled by the Biden administration. Required to by the tax law, the Biden administration also held a lease sale in the refuge, but it did not receive any bids.

Last year’s Republican-only Big Beautiful Bill required at least four lease sales to be held at ANWR.

Updated at 3:10 p.m. EDT

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