"The Trump administration on Thursday finalized plans to open the coastal plain of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to potential oil and gas drilling, renewing a long-simmering debate over whether to drill in one of the nation's environmental jewels. U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the decision Thursday that paves the way for future lease sales within the refuge's 1.5 million-acre ( 631,309 hectare) coastal plain, an area that's considered sacred by the Indigenous Gwich'in."
"The plan fulfills pledges made by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to reopen this portion of the refuge to possible development. Trump's bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, passed during the summer, called for at least four lease sales within the refuge over a 10-year period. Burgum was joined in Washington, D.C., by Alaska Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the state's congressional delegation for this and other lands-related announcements, including the department's decision to restore oil and gas leases in the refuge that had been canceled by the prior administration."
""It is encouraging to see decisionmakers in Washington advancing policies that respect our voice and support Kaktovik's long term success," Kaktovik Iñupiat Corp. President Charles "CC" Lampe said in a statement."
The administration finalized plans to open the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to potential oil and gas drilling, clearing the way for future lease sales across the 1.5 million-acre coastal plain. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the decision alongside Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and the state's congressional delegation. The move fulfills commitments tied to President Trump's tax and spending legislation, which calls for at least four lease sales over ten years. A federal judge ruled the Biden administration lacked authority to cancel prior leases, prompting restoration of those leases. Indigenous Gwich'in leaders oppose drilling for cultural and caribou-herd reasons, while Kaktovik leaders support development for economic benefits.
Read at Fortune
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]