environmentalists saying we can't do this. what's wrong with this picture? >> reporter: as the government rushes towards development, community meetings lay bare the fight. tribe versus tribe, neighbor against neighbor. >> they have thousands of gallons discovered in places that have already seen destruction, but restraint is what we lack. when did we all become owners of the lands? it has always owned us. >> oh, my gosh. bill, first of all, the shooting, the videography, or whatever, the filming is showing the majesty of that place, is so striking. >> it's hypnotizing. >> right. >> so, when can the drilling begin? >> well, maybe as early as next year. they want to sell off two 400,000-acre plots to the highest bidder out there. but what's interesting, the u.s. geological survey found 9 billion barrels outside the refuge, but they suppressed that report until the vote in december.