POTUS Officials Visit Arctic Drilling Site As Restrictions Could Be Lifted

Drill, baby, drill has been one of the battlecries in the second edition of the Trump administration, including reversing a former President Joe Biden decision to implement protections around Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, which contains migrating caribou herds and is vital to subsistence resources. Multiple Trump cabinet members are in Alaska this week to take a peek at the land in question. Here’s more from the Associated Press:

The arrival of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin at Deadhorse came hours after Burgum’s agency said it would follow through with plans to repeal Biden-era restrictions on future leasing and industrial development in portions of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. 

The petroleum reserve is west of Deadhorse, which is located at Prudhoe Bay at the starting point for the nearly 50-year-old, 800-mile (1,287-kilometer) Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. 

Government and industry representatives from several Asian countries also were expected to participate in a portion of the U.S. officials’ trip, as Trump has focused renewed attention on a massive, proposed natural gas pipeline project that Alaska officials have sought for decades as a way to provide gas to residents and overseas markets. The project has struggled to gain traction amid cost and other concerns, and even some state lawmakers remain skeptical it will come to fruition.

Here’s some reaction.

“It’s hard to overstate the havoc this could wreak on the Western Arctic’s undisturbed habitat for caribou, polars bears and belugas,” said Marlee Goska, Alaska attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. “Trump’s fixation on plundering Alaska’s ecosystems for short-term gain is matched only by the stupidity of turning this precious place into a fossil fuel extraction site. Alaska’s vast expanses of wild lands are a big part of what makes our state so special, and we’ll do everything possible to protect these places.” 

From Alaska-based conservation/environmentalist group Grandmother’s Growing Goodness and Native organization Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic:

Grandmothers Growing Goodness, Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic Respond to Trump Proposing to Strike Down Protections for Western Arctic, Starting 60-Day Comment Period on Proposal

(Nuiqsut, Alaska) — Today, the Trump administration took steps to strike down critical protections for 13 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska (Western Arctic Reserve), opening a 60-day comment period on its proposal.

“It is extremely disheartening to see the Trump Administration move to undo critical protections for the Western Arctic. The health of our communities is completely interconnected with the health of the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area. We have stewarded these lands for generations, and we will continue working to protect this region for years to come. The Trump Administration will be hearing from us throughout this comment period. These protections are critical to the prosperity of wildlife, communities, lands, and waters in the Western Arctic, said Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, Executive Director of Grandmothers Growing Goodness.

These safeguards were finalized last year to protect the food security, cultural traditions, and health of communities on the North Slope from the expansion of oil and gas development. They were developed in collaboration with robust input from scientists and wildlife experts, as well as our Indigenous communities, who live in harmony with these lands and the wildlife they support. These protections also received supportive comments from more than 250,000 people across the country. 

The Department of the Interior finalized these protections for the Western Arctic just a year ago. So much time and effort went into conveying the importance of this land, it’s impossible to translate the importance of these lands instilled in us by our elders; this is heartwrenching. Science, traditional knowledge, and even human rights aren’t being taken into account; the proposal is not based on information, but predetermined and shortsighted ambitions. We will be calling on our Iñupiat allies and submitting comments urging the administration to keep these vital protections in place,” said Nauri Simmonds, Executive Director of Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic.

The repeal of these protections would significantly impact Teshekpuk Lake and its surroundings, which are vital for the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd, providing calving grounds, summer habitat, and migration routes. The area is also integral to Indigenous subsistence practices, supporting hunting, fishing, and gathering. 

About Grandmothers Growing Goodness:

Grandmothers Growing Goodness is dedicated to protecting the environment and promoting the well-being of Indigenous communities in the Arctic.

About Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic

Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic’s mission is to create space for healthy communities, spiritually, mentally, and physically; fostering the connection between people, culture, and land. We are empowered as frontline communities and those who have an inherent connection with the land and what it provides.

And some social media content: