Department of the Interior officials stated today that the administration will initiate planning this month to lease the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling. Lease sales could begin as soon as 2019. This timeline would almost certainly require shortcutting or even bypassing environmental review and legal safeguards for public land, water and wildlife.
Statement from Defenders of Wildlife President and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark:
“Not only is this administration doing the unconscionable by attempting to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but it is moving forward in the most reckless, irresponsible way. This headlong rush toward leasing is an egregious sellout to the oil industry that would desecrate the irreplaceable wildlife habitat of the Arctic refuge’s coastal plain. Drilling and associated industrial activity would put polar bears, caribou, migratory birds and hundreds of other species that live on the coastal plain at incredible risk, while also threatening the livelihood of the native Gwich’in people, whose culture and way of life depends on these resources. By now, no one should be fooled by the Alaska delegation’s false promises that leasing will follow a robust, lawful public engagement process. Two out of three Americans agree: the Arctic refuge is no place for oil drilling. We will fight this appalling proposal at every turn.”
Defenders of Wildlife is celebrating 75 years of protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.2 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit defenders.org/newsroom and follow us on Twitter @Defenders.
