WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski last night introduced a bill that would effectively remove the sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from the refuge system, opening the entire 1.5 million acres to drilling. The bill ignores the importance of the area to the Gwich’in Nation, as well as a host of environmental safeguards, and cost realities that make raising the estimated revenue from drilling in the Arctic Refuge nearly impossible.
This afternoon, the House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on the “SECURE American Energy Act.” The bill aims to expand oil and gas drilling by rolling back federal regulations and removing protections for America’s public lands and waters.
For months, the Interior Department, Bureau of Land Management, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality have repeatedly failed to answer the public’s Freedom of Information Act requests for information related to the Trump administration’s ongoing review of national monuments—protected federal lands and waters that belong to the American people. Today, Earthjustice filed a lawsuit on behalf of six organizations whose requests for information on national monuments have been met with radio silence.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today is holding a hearing to explore drilling in the sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. As part of the budget process, the committee has been tasked with raising $1 billion over 10 years-- a feat that would only be possible through Arctic Refuge drilling if companies paid exorbitant lease prices.
Robert Vessels with Sierra Club’s National Military Outdoors program will join the class of 2017 Emerging Leaders to lead proceedings at The SHIFT Festival, which starts tomorrow in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Emerging Leaders program honors and trains a diverse group of outdoor recreationists to help revitalize conservation by making it relevant to all Americans.
The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting today that President Trump has promised to approve a proposal by Interior Secretary Zinke to strip protections from large swaths of Bears Ears National Monument.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on the FY18 budget resolution (216-212) which advances drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
A leaked draft of the Interior Department’s five-year strategic plan for 2018-2022 showed the agency prioritizing increasing oil and gas drilling on national public lands.
Today members of the Gwich’in Nation led a rally in Washington, D.C. to unite against the destruction of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The group traveled more than 4,000 miles to speak out against a Congressional budget that opens the door to drilling in the Arctic Refuge, including in its biological heart the coastal plain. Sierra Club joined the rally, along with members of Congress, the Hip Hop Caucus, Green Latinos, veteran leaders, and Alaska Wilderness League among others. Solidarity events are being held nationwide throughout the week.
Under the leadership of Secretary Zinke, the Department of the Interior has proposed raising entry fees at major national parks across the country. The proposal would hamper the the public’s ability to enjoy our natural wonders at the same time that Zinke is looking to ease access for the fossil fuel industry.
Gardner showed his hypocrisy with yes vote on Arctic drilling.
Today, the House Budget Committee passed a budget bill that advances drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge