Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- Last night, it was reported that Joe Balash, assistant Interior secretary for land and minerals and driver of the Trump administration’s rushed attempt to sell off the Arctic Refuge for drilling, will leave his job at the end of the month.
Balash’s resignation comes as House Democrats are conducting an investigation, prompted by reporting in Politico Magazine, into efforts by Balash and other political appointees to suppress science in their push to hold a lease sale for the Refuge’s delicate coastal plain as quickly as possible. Balash had claimed that a lease sale could happen as soon as the end of this year.
In response, Lena Moffitt, Senior Director of the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign, released the following statement:
“Throughout his time at Interior, Joe Balash spearheaded efforts to suppress science, ignore Indigenous rights, and sell off the Arctic Refuge for drilling at all costs. The Trump administration’s review process for drilling in this unique and delicate area has been a sham from the start, and Balash’s resignation makes it all the more clear that they need to go back to the drawing board.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.