Ian Brickey, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Department of the Interior announced it would take steps to vastly increase oil and gas drilling on wild Alaska landscapes, revoking protections for public lands and effectively handing them over to Big Oil CEOs.
In a press release, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated he would “pursue steps” to hand over as much as 19 million acres of the Western Arctic and coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge to destructive oil and gas drilling. He also indicated the Bureau of Land Management would work to revoke protections for public lands in Alaska to expedite construction projects that would facilitate oil and gas production. Burgum’s directions would open millions of acres of currently protected public lands in the Western Arctic and Arctic Refuge to drilling operations if enacted.
The orders are a clear escalation in Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to transfer the benefits of public lands from the American people to corporate polluters. His Day One executive orders laid out a vision of stripping protections for millions of acres of public lands across the country to drilling, mining, and logging.
At nearly 23 million acres, the Western Arctic is the largest single unit of public lands in the U.S. and supports diverse wildlife including polar bears, caribou, and migratory birds. At the same time, the Arctic Refuge is one of the last landscapes on the North Slope of Alaska that is untouched by oil and gas corporations.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous, released the following statement:
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk believe Big Oil CEOs, billionaires, and corporate polluters should benefit from America’s public lands, not we the people. The CEOs and multibillion dollar corporations that backed Trump get free rein to drill and pollute our iconic landscapes. Everyone else gets dirty air and polluted water.
“Our public lands are the country’s greatest treasure, and we cannot let Trump and Musk succeed. The Sierra Club and its millions of members and supporters across the country stand with the Gwich’in and Alaska Natives in opposing these actions. We will do everything in our power to stop the giveaway and preserve our wild and special places for the next generation.”
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.