Trump Administration Opens the Entire Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to Oil and Gas Leasing

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum today announced that he will open the entire 1.56 million acres of the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas leasing. These lands are sacred to the Gwich’in Nation, home to irreplaceable wildlife, wilderness and cultural values, and have never seen industrialization.

In an action taken during a government shutdown, the Department of Interior held a press conference to announce a series of resource development actions aimed at opening up Alaska for the benefit of corporate polluters. A key announcement made today was the rescission of the Biden administration’s drilling program for the refuge. DOI is instead replacing that program with a previous Trump-era plan that fully opens the Coastal Plain of the Refuge to maximum oil and gas development.

In addition to the Refuge announcement, Sec. Burgum also announced that DOI has completed the land exchange which will allow a road to cut through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.

Sec. Burgum also announced the issuance of right-of-way permits and another permit allowing the Ambler Road to be built to build potential new mines. The proposed Ambler Road is a financial boondoggle that has been opposed by 88 Alaska Native Tribes and First Nations, and will cause substantial harm to wildlife, including caribou.

The move to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain to oil and gas leasing also follows a Congressional Review Act resolution introduced earlier this month by Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK) that would accomplish the same thing — overturning the Biden administration’s previous Record of Decision for oil and gas leasing in the Refuge.

Simultaneously, DOI announced it is reaffirming unlawful Coastal Plain leases issued to the State of Alaska-sponsored corporation, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, covering about 370,000 acres within the Coastal Plain.

With Alaska’s Arctic warming 3–5 times faster than the rest of the planet, the climate consequences of expanded Arctic oil and gas drilling will be disastrous for Alaska’s communities, as well as Americans nationwide. Communities and infrastructure in Alaska are at risk from thawing permafrost, the loss of sea ice, and rapid coastal erosion, with communities in Alaska and elsewhere suffering devastation and in some cases having to relocate due to intensified storms linked to climate change. These climate impacts also come with dire economic consequences that the government is not adequately factoring in its decision-making. In addition, few companies have expressed interest in bidding on these leases, resulting in those that do go up for sale generating far less than the income touted by the Trump administration.

Earthjustice statement in response to today’s actions:

“Today’s Arctic Refuge announcement puts America — and Alaska — last,” said Earthjustice Attorney Erik Grafe. “Expanding oil drilling in the Arctic threatens irreplaceable wildlife and cultural traditions that exist nowhere else in the world.  It worsens the climate crisis and undermines energy security by seeking to lock in reliance on fossil fuels. The Gwich’in people, most Americans, and even major banks and insurance companies know the Arctic Refuge is no place to drill. Today’s decision by the Trump administration is irresponsible as a policy matter, a poor economic decision, and flouts laws that protect this irreplaceable landscape.”

Background

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge covers about 19.3 million acres in northeast Alaska and is the largest national refuge in the United States. It borders Canada to the east and the Beaufort Sea to the north.

The Refuge includes diverse habitat that support a broad range of species including caribou, brown, black and polar bears, Dall sheep, moose, foxes, muskoxen, marine mammals including whales and seals, and numerous birds. The calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou herd, which have sustained Gwich’in people for generations, are within the Coastal Plain of the Refuge. The Refuge’s coastal plain also provides an important denning area for female polar bears in winter.

Earthjustice has long defended the Refuge against oil and gas development. In 2021, we challenged the first Trump administration’s plan to pursue oil and gas development in the refuge along with leases purchased at an extremely low price by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), a State of Alaska sponsored corporation. That lawsuit is currently on hold, but Earthjustice stands ready to again defend against these leases, as well as other threats to the Refuge that don’t follow the law.