White House approves increased oil and gas drilling in Alaska National Wildlife Refuge | Alaska

The Trump administration has approved more oil and gas drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), drawing widespread criticism from environmental conservation organizations.

On Thursday, the Secretary of the Interior announced the opening of 1.56 million acres in the ANWR Coastal Plains, which are home to a variety of wildlife, including polar bears, caribou and elk, as well as whales and seals.

The Interior Department also announced a sale of oil and gas leases with the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska this winter, which is expected to mark the first sale in the 23 million-acre reservation since 2019. Thursday’s announcement is part of the Trump administration’s reversal of Joe Biden’s 2024 decision to extend federal protections to the entire reservation.

Additionally, the department reissued permits necessary to establish the Ambler Road Project, a controversial proposed 211-mile gravel road, part of which will be built through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Alaska.

Once built, the road would endanger more than 200,000 migratory birds that pass through the refuge each year, among other wildlife, according to the National Wildlife Refuge Association. The project would also threaten several indigenous tribes that rely on the area for hunting and fishing. At least 39 interior Alaska villages and 37 tribes oppose the road.

Supporters of the project include Alaska congressional representatives, who have said the road is needed to access a $7 billion copper deposit, as well as other industrial minerals, including cobalt and zinc.

Welcoming the steps Thursday, U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said, “From day one, President Trump has called on us to unlock Alaska’s energy and resource potential while honoring our commitments to the state and local communities.

“By reopening the coastal plain and advancing key infrastructure, we are strengthening energy independence, creating jobs and supporting Alaska communities while driving economic growth across the state,” he added.

Environmental groups have sounded the alarm, with the Alaska Wilderness League saying: “The Arctic Refuge is the crown jewel of our public lands system. During a government shutdown, while ordinary Americans are left without basic services, President Trump has chosen to double down on failed policies that prioritize oil companies over citizens.”

“Opening the entire coastal plain of the Arctic refuge to drilling would destroy one of the most ecologically important landscapes in the world: birthplace of the porcupine caribou herd, vital habitat for polar bears and migratory birds, and sacred land for the Gwich’in people who have managed its resources for millennia,” the group added.

Similarly, the nonprofit public interest group Earthjustice condemned the announcement, with its lawyer Erik Grafe saying: “Today’s Arctic refuge announcement puts America – and Alaska – in last place. Expanding oil drilling in the Arctic threatens irreplaceable wildlife and cultural traditions that exist nowhere else in the world…The Gwich’in people, most Americans and even the big banks and insurance companies know that the Arctic refuge is not a refuge. place to drill.

The Sierra Club echoed similar sentiments, saying, “These decisions will collectively wreak havoc on Alaska’s fragile ecosystems in the most disruptive ways possible, causing long-term environmental damage, all to improve CEOs’ bottom lines.” »