Brian Willis, Brian.Willis@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Bureau of Land Management proposed a new process that would allow some oil and gas development in the Western Arctic to move forward without additional, project-specific environmental reviews. The proposal would establish pre-defined criteria for certain drilling-related activities near existing oil and gas infrastructure, potentially accelerating new fossil fuel development across a region that provides critical habitat for caribou, migratory birds, and other wildlife and is already experiencing the severe impacts of climate change.
In response, Dan Ritzman, Director of Sierra Club’s Conservation Campaign, released the following statement:
“The Trump administration is once again rewriting the rules to make life easier for oil and gas companies while putting the Western Arctic at greater risk. Environmental review isn’t needless red tape. It is how we understand the consequences of drilling before companies are allowed to move forward in one of the most ecologically important and rapidly warming places on the planet. Reckless rubber-stamping will put wildlife and people who count on subsistence living at risk.
“This proposal is another piece of the administration’s relentless effort to expand drilling across Alaska’s public lands. The Western Arctic is home to caribou, migratory birds, and countless other wildlife, and decisions about its future deserve careful scrutiny — not a permitting process designed around the demands of the oil and gas industry. The Sierra Club will fight this proposal and urge the Interior Department to protect the Western Arctic rather than sacrifice it for more fossil fuel development.”
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.