The Department of the Interior released today its second report detailing the devastating impacts of transforming the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge into an oilfield. Defenders of Wildlife joins the Gwich’in peoples in calling for an end to the leasing program.  


This final supplemental environmental impact statement was required after the Department of the Interior found that the initial environmental review under the Trump administration contained “multiple legal deficiencies” including “insufficient analysis” required by several environmental laws. 


“Industrializing the coastal plain would bring irreparable harm to caribou, polar bears and other wildlife, and threaten the cultural and spiritual existence of the Gwich’in people,” said Nicole Whittington-Evans, Alaska senior program director for Defenders of Wildlife. “We again call upon Congress to repeal this reckless mandate and restore protections to the Refuge.” 

 

Image
2024.05.07 - Polar Bear on Beaufort Sea on Foggy Day - Alaska - Dr. Pablo Clemente-Colon-NOAA.jpg


The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act mandated the first-ever oil and gas lease sales in the Refuge in 2021 and 2024, despite strong opposition from the Gwich’in people and most Americans. The Gwich’in consider the coastal plain “The Sacred Place Where Life Begins” because it is home to the calving grounds for the Porcupine caribou herd upon which they depend. As it stands today, no drilling has taken place on the coastal plain. The first sale was wildly unsuccessful, generating no interest from the oil industry and less than 1% of projected sale revenue. The few leases sold were either relinquished by the purchasers or canceled by the Biden administration.  
 

For over 75 years, Defenders of Wildlife has remained dedicated to protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on X @Defenders.

  

Media Contact

Communications Specialist
jcovey@defenders.org

News

Image
Lesser Prairie Chicken
Washington, D.C.

FWS Withdraws Land Protection Plan Threatening Endangered Species

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced it is withdrawing the final Land Protection Plan for the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge, which established an
Image
A flock of red-winged blackbirds fly over Lake Mattamuskeet
Chapel Hill, N.C.

Bird Sanctuary Protected from Planned Toxic Chemical Experiment

A federal court ruled in favor of Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club in a lawsuit filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center challenging the