Print article Alaska’s state-owned economic development corporation on Wednesday agreed to spend up to $20 million to buy leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain in an effort to support future oil exploration and drilling there. The seven-member board of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority unanimously granted the corporation’s director permission to bid following 90 minutes of public comments, a two-hour private meeting and a final 30-minute public session. The proposal faced broad public opposition, including complaints that the measure was being rushed through with little public review two days before Christmas. But several board members, in describing their support for the measure, said money from oil that flows from the refuge can support much-needed jobs in Alaska and pay for renewable energy projects that opponents of the investment have said they preferred.