Ian Brickey, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland withdrew a proposed land exchange between the department and King Cove Corporation in Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. The exchange had been greenlit by Donald Trump’s Secretary, David Bernhardt, in July 2019, but the Department today determined the proposal was flawed and inconsistent with departmental policy, nor did it sufficiently consider environmental impacts on the region. The announcement comes a day after the Biden Administration approved ConocoPhillips’ massive Willow oil and gas drilling project on Alaska’s North Slope.
Izembek National Wildlife Refuge was created through the Alaska National Interest Conservation Act (ANILCA) of 1980, which conserved more than 100 million acres of federal land in Alaska.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous issued the following response.
“With this decision, the Biden administration is demonstrating it can be the climate and environmental champion it has repeatedly committed to being. This proposed land swap and road cutting through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge would have been costly, ineffective, and damaging to local ecosystems and wildlife and was a threat to the very foundation of law that protects subsistence living and conservation in Alaska.
“Alaska’s wildlife, lands, and waters face serious threats due to unnecessary development and climate change. Approving proposals like ConocoPhillips’ Willow project and the additional extraction and disruption they bring only increases those threats. Today’s announcement will be and is rightfully celebrated, but one action cannot overcome the damages presented by President Biden’s decision on Willow and similar oil and gas drilling on public lands.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of 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.