Trump Administration Moves to Strip Western Arctic Protections, Opening the Door to Expanded Drilling

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Trump administration today proposed rescinding critical protections for 13 million acres in the Western Arctic, clearing the way for expanded oil and gas development in one of America’s most ecologically important and culturally significant landscapes. The rule rollback begins a 60-day public comment period.

Following is a reaction from Katie Hobbs, director of Federal Affairs at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council): 

“The administration’s move to reopen the Western Arctic to industrial drilling is shortsighted and dangerous. This region is one of the most pristine and biologically diverse landscapes left on the planet—it’s a critical habitat for Arctic wildlife and a place that sustains Indigenous communities who have lived in balance with it for generations. Backtracking on these protections puts caribou herds, migratory birds, and traditional life ways at risk, all for the benefit of 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).