Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- Today, the Department of the Interior released an environmental impact statement on its plan to hold a lease sale for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The planned sale will target the coastal plain, the biological heart of the Arctic Refuge, home to lands and wildlife vital for the subsistence way of life of the Gwich’in Nation.
Since Congressional Republicans slipped a rider into the Tax Act in December 2017 opening up the Refuge for oil and gas drilling, the administration has rushed through the review process and Interior officials have touted plans to hold a lease sale as soon as this winter. A recent investigation revealed that political appointees at Interior disregarded or altered the work of career scientists in an effort to accelerate the process and justify drilling in one of America’s last wild places.
The release of the EIS comes in the wake of bipartisan action in Congress to keep drills out of the coastal plain. This morning, the House of Representatives passed the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act to repeal the provision in the tax bill that opened it up for drilling, and companion legislation was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday.
In response, Alli Harvey, Alaska Campaign Representative for the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign, released the following statement:
“The fact that the Trump administration rushed to release this review to counter historic Congressional action to defend the Arctic Refuge today makes it more obvious than ever that they are more interested in checking boxes as quickly as possible than actually doing their job or conducting a thorough review. Their rush to auction off the coastal plain to the fossil fuel industry has suppressed science and disregarded both Indigenous rights and overwhelming public opposition to drilling. The fight to permanently protect this special place is far from over, and we will not let Trump’s shameless push to sell out America’s Refuge go unchallenged.”
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.