Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- Today, the Department of the Interior released a notice of intent kicking off a new environmental review of the Trump administration’s leasing program for oil drilling in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The notice opens a 60-day comment period on the scope for a draft supplemental environmental impact statement. Interior intends to publish that new supplemental analysis in 8 to 10 months.
In June, the Biden administration put all activities under the leasing plan on hold, recognizing the legal deficiencies in Trump’s rushed approval and the need for a reevaluation of the impacts of drilling. The coastal plain is the biological heart of the Arctic Refuge, home to lands and wildlife vital for the subsistence way of life of Indigenous communities that have thrived in the area for thousands of years. Drilling in this place would destroy one of the world’s last intact ecosystems, threaten the human rights of these communities, and exacerbate the climate crisis.
In response, Sierra Club Senior Campaign Representative Mike Scott released the following statement:
“We are glad to see the Biden administration recognize the serious flaws in Trump’s rushed and illegal approval of drilling in the Arctic Refuge, but what is needed most is an act of Congress to permanently protect this special place from destructive drilling. We urge members of Congress to act immediately to reverse the pro-drilling provision in the Tax Act, cancel the leases issued by the Trump administration, and shut down this dangerous drilling program once and for all.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million 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.