Trump Administration lays groundwork for Arctic Refuge drilling plan

Environment America

The Trump administration has started the process to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling. Tomorrow, the Department of Interior notice, detailing the Bureau of Land Management’s plan to implement an oil and gas leasing program, will be posted in the Federal Register, beginning a 60-day public comment period.

Steve Blackledge, Conservation Program Director for Environment America, issued the following statement:

“Opening the Arctic Refuge for drilling is a foolish move, and Americans will need to stand up in opposition. Drilling will damage habitats important to polar bears, caribou and other wildlife, all for oil, a dirty product that we must continue to move away from. The administration is proposing this at a time when we’re seeing remarkable growth in solar and wind power, and major automakers such as GM are talking about the end of the combustion engine. We can do much better than this.”