Amid Shutdown, Trump Administration and Congress Move to Sell Off 1.56 Million Acres in the Arctic Refuge for Oil and Gas
Expanded leasing on the refuge's coastal plain threatens Indigenous communities, wildlife, and taxpayers.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Interior Secretary Doug Burgum repealed the Biden administration’s record of decision (ROD) for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge leasing program and re-adopted the first Trump administration’s plan that opens the refuge’s entire 1.56‑million‑acre coastal plain to oil and gas leasing and drilling. Secretary Burgum also said he will lift the suspension on the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority’s leases covering more than 365,000 acres on the coastal plain.
Following is a reaction from Bobby McEnaney, director of land conservation at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):
“Drilling in the Arctic Refuge is reckless. The coastal plain is the nursery of the caribou and polar bears, and sacred to the Gwich’in. The market has said no: Banks and insurers won’t back it, lease sales flopped, and taxpayers are left holding the bag. Public lands must serve people, wildlife, and a livable climate—not host a fire sale for fossil fuel companies.”
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).