No major oil company offered a valid bid on the land leases. Pat Gaines / Getty Images
The oil industry responded to the controversial and last-minute sale of oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with a collective 'meh' on Wednesday.
<p>The federal government received bids on just 11 of the 22 leasing tracts on offer, and nine of those were purchased at the legal minimum price of $25 per acre by an Alaska state-owned corporation with hopes to sublet the tracts to other oil companies in the future. </p><p>No major or even mid-size oil companies entered valid bids. </p><p>The ANWR lease sales are mandated as part of the GOP plan to pay for its 2017 tax cuts based on expectations that the sales and oil extraction would net the Treasury $1.8 billion over 10 years; Wednesday's lease sale raised $14.4 million. </p>
<p>Under mounting pressure from climate advocates, the six biggest American banks and five biggest Canadian banks have all pledged not to finance drilling in the refuge. President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to prevent oil drilling in the refuge.</p><p>"This lease sale was an epic failure for the Trump administration and the Alaska congressional delegation," Adam Kolton, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League, said in a statement. </p><p>"After years of promising a revenue and jobs bonanza they ended up throwing a party for themselves."</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/01/06/trump-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-polar-bears/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9x1f4J1F0OtFhjdqNfsM2OEEcFSdUoNhoWYrJbpyKNVR97yaHYe4KgINerb1LzK1eFwrb5vCQHKFl0eDg92Mn4PGn8XLv0RxeG-jtuI75fVsTTMrs&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Washington Post</a>, <a href="https://www.adn.com/business-economy/energy/2021/01/06/anwr-lease-sale-brings-in-144-million-in-bids-mostly-from-alaska-state-owned-corporation/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--N4DdlAZeRNAUQwAXojgzeHRhAOStf444y0Jx4Cf7tEuhTVEOgJGRee604N1cCDfxS9Ygtj0PxR3TZwUDSnjdYaj5hk-tz5xuePEwZxBlRlRkVFy0&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Anchorage Daily News</a>, <a href="https://www.highnorthnews.com/en/auction-oil-gas-leases-alaska-arctic-refuge-draws-little-interest?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9by8khE_zPABF80OtouybI--xzLxvUvrc8iGiX3Z51eM30D-TqRQRAbBm3V7IU38bZsVAmzYnPaXf6sESSGKnxboWstbolIiIUc7nevqqHeVJMqZY&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">High North News</a>, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/alaska-agency-is-biggest-bidder-for-arctic-oil-leases-11609963845?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_fph9IODwKLyBJHA9Jd0cmuXggeUELlXRkRuG9_uowE0Ppw2k3AGux_UT3ab16QgjNDyyqw8hJzQXhsSQkb-CY3Kjd3xTTMR7CyTNDosANFIghzBw&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal,</a> <a href="https://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/stories/1063721947?t=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eenews.net%2Fstories%2F1063721947%3F_hsenc%3Dp2ANqtz-8JRd6gnk4_7ZlC1lEPJzm0OYQKJ47OdWPjR_gHMZZ6mX5HBHkaB2Am_qA1qoECGxhaBdThR59hZ6-bbDBZELxR1j53uV88yXKYPxjzCllbdfcB-pE%26_hsmi%3D105782603%26utm_campaign%3DHot%2520News%26utm_content%3D105782603%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Dhs_email" target="_blank">E&E</a>,<a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07012021/trump-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-oil-leases/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8oTdWGwuuRsu4-kcaPe0tE1xFJzpGotKkd91gPFKNd9xdzKQ26xEsdjvnqlX9H9l-wcGxS_opzwwxSl6vF05NRWZ7KEp2SA8kESqUh1fSfreL3FNs&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank"> InsideClimate News</a>, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-06/secret-bids-opened-in-rare-auction-of-arctic-oil-drilling-rights?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_BSs2y7tI3cVM-TC6vLZrluv3RL5ttNDRIlTYsRNrZm4R0Syzs2E7QQ1oOPcHrgxfOMpsRINrydj4fz63TRng-K1DvqCWF7ql666nnoK314pSa1H8&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/01/06/953718234/major-oil-companies-take-a-pass-on-controversial-lease-sale-in-arctic-refuge?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--zCLhVAWMBy1Sji6yxkGlLNBvPqNktX8YSCVqNKZPah-v2-cPRYfMg7bCbtOGqTXaBDj3eCyPsuQkQva9vwDuGY7YglfjqrJzMKfBISZPy7GvK7Ds&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">NPR</a>, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/bf1c671e-a032-43a0-8471-5cfc133c8fee?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9bi3DrfICr5ifkIL-P_B3zOyjP_Y9ngzHr71OoAafNiEUyG8pkoW-Fkz70r_uuG9IflKVyGxLe-2J1CXBqB5QFsS5x5uwOdC_mz-JzD2hIgoy__Xo&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">FT,</a> <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-alaska-oil/oil-drillers-shrug-off-trumps-u-s-arctic-wildlife-refuge-auction-idUSKBN29B0KR?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8s5zTGuBgVohzUrN6PG6pKIWl4XrUkeCar7I81uSrxV6O1KM4JspHsi1_y9pIrnrIpYNI5MrRn-wdYH3vrSaUBxtR7YJu9bx0ntQngdlT3e4wqlak&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Reuters</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/climate/arctic-refuge-drilling-lease-sales.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_cRMugNyj4Zvxbn2OcpCtJYZWmxmq0qQLcF8VugBQJVHTIxLzQyc1MxEbf0twRxjvx5SkExXvwaPMU9_HvobOY-Zl2hKMsjPRQ12Y-ySrKqh8IfzI&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">New York Times,</a> <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55564483?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GbPWL-EuxEvl0XsV7yquDsdDPNDirfoyv1NTj_H3nVXIPc6-unLWep9IdJLucGMsgwVwIHxPM3Rj0_m17HOJ_CbKHUOqeU5c3vhK7jtmnyfNNehE&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">BBC</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/06/trump-arctic-refuge-auction-oil-leases?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8NPyx9aOiHkL_lltqY5z42w-sez42AqcZnhTJoVIu1yU4DUdxOENKk9wno1q437aFZp6XIbsShjEfRAGHymuxULnnHK0VNtCDvfpiDsX5mAmOf4QM&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Guardian,</a> <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/532983-trumps-sale-of-arctic-refuge-drilling-rights-earns-just-a-fraction?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9m81SWu1WXTj_iOVpcjbk0EV3FnoR8KyBLJ5aBV7NyqpPPH42G8J5PKb2R35_bqqd719_MjgENcv_71qL3zPoQsEYhJpnLlCsJ7EBf4EwzJ-q2X2E&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Hill,</a> <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alaska-wildlife-arctic-513daddc87565b22cd5ba71f2b267a32?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8j09WFX9NfwlGeZoqWWTrR092rD3Ia8nZuwx5SATkSXCiPSmDs6noHSCBGiPUm3JZe3VhdqZ0Pm5O2ECI4-2Aiz6D84LxUTyCb2FSzgVRW2H8pwuM&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">AP,</a> <a href="https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2021/01/07/stories/1063721993?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105782603&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_rS_50mb4LbYCZTJq5HHcsRFRmexZGHWVXKMCaaY4iXwQX8yet0hk_PXS6HoPjWv6MU5fObU9Xm2hqzR2gStb7Z6tcpfHJU24foFBYv-WK9dVmlf8&utm_content=105782603&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">E&E </a><br/></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a 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- How Drilling in ANWR Would Threaten the Gwich'in People's Way of ... ›
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Biden Is Urged to Ban ANWR Drilling After Court Approves Auction of Fossil Fuel Leases
07 January
Climate
Polar bears are seen in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge near Kaktovik, Alaska. Sylvain Cordier / Getty Images
By Jessica Corbett
President-elect Joe Biden is facing renewed pressure to deliver on his promise of a bold climate agenda after a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration could move forward with a Wednesday auction of fossil fuel drilling leases for federally protected lands in Alaska.
<p>After decades of national debate over oil and gas development in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), Republicans in Congress opened up the region to drilling with a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/12/08/gop-tax-scam-attacks-renewables-while-nurturing-nuclear-and-fossil-fuel-industries" target="_blank">provision</a> in the so-called "<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/12/22/corporations-are-literally-going-wild-says-trump-he-signs-tax-bill-most-americans" target="_blank">tax scam</a>" that President Donald Trump signed in 2017.</p><p>Late Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason in Anchorage <a href="https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20441489-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-order-on-preliminary-injunction" target="_blank">declined</a> to issue a preliminary injunction to block the auction. The request came from environmental groups and Indigenous people who are opposed to drilling in ANWR, which is home to <a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic/wildlife_habitat.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">over 280 species</a>.</p><p>In a statement Wednesday, Mitch Jones, policy director at the advocacy group Food & Water Watch, urged Biden to prevent fossil fuel development in the refuge—and beyond—when he takes office in two weeks. The president-elect has previously <a href="https://www.adn.com/politics/2020/12/05/with-oil-drilling-in-anwr-advancing-and-a-possible-end-to-pebble-mine-what-could-change-for-alaska-under-biden/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> he "totally" opposes drilling in the ecologically sensitive region.</p><p>"Trump rushing through these lease sales as a final handout to his cronies in the oil and gas industry is outrageous, if not surprising," Jones declared. "Trump's consistent, willful ignorance of the realities of climate change has pushed our planet towards decades of increasing climate chaos."</p>
<p>"President-elect Biden can reverse these disastrous oil and gas industry plans by keeping his promise to ban fossil fuel extraction—including fracking—on our public lands and waters," he added. "This is a step he can, and must, take upon taking office."</p><p>Jones' call for Biden to intervene to protect ANWR's coastal plain came after environmental and Indigenous leaders expressed disappointment with Gleason's decision not to block the auction while also emphasizing that her ruling doesn't mark the end of their fight against drilling rights in the refuge.</p><p>Four lawsuits have been filed since August challenging the lease plans, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-alaska-lawsuit/u-s-judge-denies-effort-to-stop-drilling-auction-in-arctic-refuge-idUSKBN29B071" target="_blank">according to</a> <em>Reuters</em>. The National Audubon Society and other groups had argued that the auction shouldn't go forward until the broader challenge to the drilling is resolved.</p><p>The <em>Anchorage Daily News</em> <a href="https://www.adn.com/politics/2020/12/05/with-oil-drilling-in-anwr-advancing-and-a-possible-end-to-pebble-mine-what-could-change-for-alaska-under-biden/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reports</a> that Erik Grafe, an Earthjustice attorney representing the Audubon Society, said the case "is by no means over."</p><p>"The court concluded only that for now there is no harm that justifies an injunction. It also recognized that such an action could come very soon with issuance of seismic permits," he said. "We will continue to press our case that the agency approved the program unlawfully and that its decision should be overturned."</p>
<div id="4b52a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2fc64a53f75e68a880e2293893243cb"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1346838449593212928" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">We #StandWiththeGwichin in our collective fight to #ProtectTheArctic.
Trump's last-ditch effort to extract fossil… https://t.co/uhaPPWiL6T</div> — 350 dot org (@350 dot org)<a href="https://twitter.com/350/statuses/1346838449593212928">1609946284.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Bernadette Demientieff, executive director of the Gwich'in Steering Committee, which represents some of the area's Indigenous people, similarly <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-alaska-lawsuit/u-s-judge-denies-effort-to-stop-drilling-auction-in-arctic-refuge-idUSKBN29B071" target="_blank">said</a> Tuesday that "today's ruling is disappointing but does nothing to change the strength of our lawsuit or our resolve."</p><p>Demientieff's people have <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/24/coalition-files-suit-stop-trumps-slapdash-and-tragic-plan-drill-arctic-national" target="_blank">relied </a>on the region's Porcupine Caribou Herd for thousands of years. The Gwich'in <a href="https://ourarcticrefuge.org/about-the-refuge/the-coastal-plain-the-sacred-place-where-life-begins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">call</a> the coastal plain, which the caribou use as their calving grounds, "Iizhik Gwats'an Gwandaii Goodlit" or "The Sacred Place Where Life Begins."</p><p>As <em>The Guardian</em> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/05/trump-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-lease-sales?utm_campaign=Carbon%20Brief%20Daily%20Briefing&utm_content=20210106&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20Daily" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> ahead of the ruling Tuesday:</p><blockquote>Oil from drilling west of the refuge, at Prudhoe Bay, has fueled the economic development the state has depended on to fill its coffers and write annual revenue checks to residents. That extraction also led to the most damaging oil spill in history, when the Exxon Valdez tanker spewed millions of barrels off Alaska's southern coast in 1989.<br><br>Prudhoe Bay "was the largest oil field ever discovered in North America. Since then we have had more than 1,500 square miles of oil and gas development in the Alaskan Arctic… but [ANWR] has been off limits," said Adam Kolton, executive director of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/alaska" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Alaska</a> Wilderness League.<br><br>"For us, it symbolizes just what's at stake here. If you can't draw a line at the tundra and keep this one area of the Arctic off limits, then the question is, where can you draw the line and what protected part or wildlife refuge in the United States will remain off limits?"<br></blockquote><p>For the <a href="https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2021/01/05/heres-what-to-know-ahead-of-the-anwr-oil-lease-sale/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">first-ever ANWR auction</a>, the Bureau of Land Management "plans open bids from companies seeking 10-year leases," according to the <em>Daily News.</em> "Up for grabs to the highest bidder are 22 tracts on the refuge's coastal plain, most of them about 50,000 acres. Together, the tracts represent about 5% of the 19-million-acre refuge."</p>
<div id="ef02c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="21eddea470b1f924a3e56108665ca656"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1346821784440606720" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">With the denial of the injunction lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will go forward today. The ind… https://t.co/B07NKdKD9w</div> — Ctr4BioDiv Ocean (@Ctr4BioDiv Ocean)<a href="https://twitter.com/EndangeredOcean/statuses/1346821784440606720">1609942310.0</a></blockquote></div><p>It remains unclear if any fossil fuel companies will even bid on the leases—especially given that major U.S. banks, under pressure from environmental and Indigenous groups, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/01/lame-duck-trump-pushes-arctic-pillage-bank-america-latest-bank-rule-out-drilling" target="_blank">have adopted policies</a> of refusing to finance drilling in the Arctic, including ANWR, which was designated by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1960.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/06/after-court-oks-trump-arctic-refuge-auction-biden-urged-immediately-ban-drilling" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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- Trump: Let's Drill for Oil in America's Last Pristine Wilderness to ... ›
- How Drilling in ANWR Would Threaten the Gwich'in People's Way of ... ›
- ANWR Oil Lease Sale Is a Fail for Trump Admin - EcoWatch ›
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><em><br></em>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" data-width="710" data-height="959" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" data-width="800" data-height="800" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" data-width="600" data-height="600" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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A polar bar in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Sylvain CORDIER / Gamma-Rapho / Getty Images
By Andrea Germanos
"The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge faces its biggest threat yet."
That's the warning issued by the National Audubon Society on Tuesday — a day before the Trump administration is set to sell oil and gas leasing rights in the refuge's coastal plain, a biodiversity hotspot of critical importance to the Gwich'in people and dubbed America's Serengeti.
<p>Bids were submitted by the end of 2020. It's not clear, however, which oil or gas companies, <a href="https://qz.com/1951224/trumps-final-push-for-arctic-oil-drilling-might-have-no-takers/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">if any</a>, sought leases.</p><p>The Bureau of Land Management has "received interest" in leases, the Anchorage Daily News <a href="https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2021/01/04/bids-have-been-placed-in-anwr-oil-lease-sale-federal-agency-confirms-as-a-judge-hears-case-to-prevent-drilling/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reported</a>. That interest may have come solely from the state-owned Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, which <a href="https://www.alaskapublic.org/2020/12/24/alaskas-state-development-corporation-can-now-spend-up-to-20m-on-anwr-lease-sale/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">voted</a> unanimously last month to spend as much as $20 million on the leases. "It's a way for the state to make sure the land is set aside for oil development in case no one else bids on the leases," as Alaska Public <a href="https://www.alaskapublic.org/2020/12/24/alaskas-state-development-corporation-can-now-spend-up-to-20m-on-anwr-lease-sale/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">put it</a>. </p>
<p>Wednesday's virtual lease sale, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/01/01/951090723/after-decades-long-push-its-not-clear-who-will-bid-in-arctic-refuge-oil-lease-sa" target="_blank">according to</a> NPR, represents:</p><blockquote>a major moment in a 40-year fight over whether to develop the northernmost slice of the refuge's coastal plain, home to migrating caribou, birds, and polar bears.<br><br>[President-elect Joe] Biden, as well as his pick for Interior Secretary—Rep. Deb Haaland—oppose drilling in the refuge. The hand-off of drilling rights to the highest bidders could make it more difficult to reverse course.</blockquote><p>That makes a pending decision from a federal judge in Alaska, which could come Tuesday, even more crucial to foil the lease sales and seismic activity related to fossil fuel plans.</p>
<div id="26aa8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f43b0301a6523c95374d668cccd33811"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1346234457091694592" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">A lease sale on Wednesday will mark the culmination of pro-development politicians' decades-long campaign for oil d… https://t.co/RSBNZ3ioWC</div> — Audubon Society (@Audubon Society)<a href="https://twitter.com/audubonsociety/statuses/1346234457091694592">1609802281.0</a></blockquote></div><p>U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason in Anchorage on Monday heard oral arguments in the <a href="https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/audubon_et_al_complaint.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">case</a>, brought forth by Audubon and other conservation groups, as ADN <a href="https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2021/01/04/bids-have-been-placed-in-anwr-oil-lease-sale-federal-agency-confirms-as-a-judge-hears-case-to-prevent-drilling/%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>. According to the outlet, "Gleason said she'd try to issue a decision by 'close of business' on Tuesday, on the eve of the live-streamed lease sale, set for 10 a.m. Wednesday."</p><p>Andy McGlashen, associate editor of Audubon Magazine, put this week's events in the broader context of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-crisis">climate crisis</a>. In a Monday post, he <a href="https://www.audubon.org/news/the-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-faces-its-biggest-threat-yet-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a>: </p><blockquote>While the Arctic Refuge has faced development pressure throughout its 40-year existence, it hasn't confronted a more intensely perilous week than this one. "It's like the second-to-last episode of a miniseries, where all the action has built up and there are multiple things happening, and yet there's no resolution at this point," says Natalie Dawson, executive director of Audubon Alaska. "We're waiting on a court decision. We're watching to see if anyone bids on the leases. We're waiting to see what the new administration will do. And all three of those things are kind of rotating around each other at this point." [...]<br><br>The coastal plain between the Brooks Range and the Beaufort Sea is a wild expanse of tundra that each year hosts millions of migratory birds from six continents. It's where the Porcupine caribou herd, one of the continent's largest, migrates each spring to birth calves. Polar bears den in the snow and ice along the coast and river edges, while muskoxen, wolves, and other wildlife roam the rolling plain.<br><br>It's also, like the rest of the Arctic, a region changing fast as the planet warms due to fossil-fuel combustion. "We shouldn't be exploring drilling anywhere," says Martha Raynolds, an arctic plant ecologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). "And the last place on Earth that the U.S. should be exploring drilling is the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge."</blockquote><p>In a statement last when the groups asked the court to put the lease sales on hold, Erik Grafe, an attorney with Earthjustice which is representing the conservation groups in the case, sounded a similar alarm.</p><p>"Climate change is the greatest threat of our time," he <a href="https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2020/conservation-groups-ask-court-to-stop-imminent-oil-activities-in-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge" target="_blank">said</a>, "and the consequences will be severe and irreversible if we allow oil drilling to proceed in the cherished Arctic Refuge."</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/05/biggest-threat-yet-arctic-refuge-trump-readies-last-minute-lease-sale" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em> </p>
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Shasta dam and lake near Redding, California. Kelly M. Grow / California Department of Water Resources
By Tara Lohan
In the aftermath of the Nov. 3 election, President Donald Trump has tried every trick in the book to avoid facing the reality of his loss. A barrage of lawsuits accompanied by disinformation campaigns has attempted to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election.
<p>But a close look at regulatory actions and executive moves shows that, even as Trump makes a show of refusing to concede or transition power to the incoming Biden administration, his team is pushing through a slew of last-minute rules and regulations.</p><p>Many of these changes will harm the environment and public health.</p><p>It isn't surprising that an administration that has attempted to roll back more than <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks-list.html" target="_blank">100 environmental protections</a> in the past four years would step up its assault in its waning months. But that doesn't make the continued attacks any less important. Here's some of what's at risk:</p>
<h3>1. Tribal Lands</h3><p>Tribes and environmental groups have fought for decades against a proposed copper mine in an area of Arizona known as Oak Flat, which is a sacred site for a dozen tribes, including the San Carlos Apache.</p><p>Now the Trump administration is pushing to fast-track a deal that would transfer ownership of the land, which is in the Tonto National Forest, to Resolution Copper, a firm owned by mining companies Rio Tinto and Billiton BHP.</p><p>"Last month tribes discovered that the date for the completion of a crucial environmental review process has suddenly been moved forward by a full year, to December 2020, even as the tribes are struggling with a COVID outbreak that has stifled their ability to respond," <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/24/trump-mining-arizona-holy-land-oak-flat-tribes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an investigation</a> by The Guardian found. "If the environmental review is completed before Trump leaves office, the tribes may be unable to stop the mine."</p>
<h3>2. FERC Shakeup</h3><p>Just days after the election, Trump switched up the leadership of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which has a hand in regulating hydroelectric projects, as well as interstate transmission of electricity, oil and natural gas.</p><p>Chairman Neil Chatterjee was replaced by fellow Republican James Danly, who has a <a href="https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/trump-replaces-ferc-chairman-neil-chatterjee-with-commissioner-james-danly" target="_blank">more conservative view</a> on federal energy policy. <a href="https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/neil-chatterjee-ferc-energy-transition" target="_blank">Chatterjee</a>, once known as a "coal guy," had recently advocated for policies supporting distributed energy and for regional grid operators to embrace carbon pricing as a market-based solution for addressing climate change.</p>
<h3>3. Hamstringing LWCF</h3><p>The Great American Outdoors Act, a major <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation">conservation</a> bill signed into law in August, allocated $9.5 billion to help fix national park infrastructure and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund.</p><p>But despite (falsely) hailing himself as a conservation hero at the law's signing, Trump has already begun undermining the legislation's effectiveness. An order signed by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt on Nov. 9 allows state and local governments to veto any land or water acquisitions made through the fund.</p><p>Chris D'Angelo at HuffPost <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-undercuts-public-lands-law_n_5fb81630c5b6cf1e0f07fc6d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">called the move</a> a "parting gift to the anti-federal land movement." Montana Sen. Jon Tester, who advocated for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, <a href="https://www.tester.senate.gov/files/Letters/2020-11-13%20Interior%20LWCF%20letter.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote a letter</a> to Bernhardt urging him to rescind the order. "This undercuts what a landowner can do with their own private property, and creates unnecessary, additional levels of bureaucracy that will hamstring future land acquisition through the Land and Water Conservation Fund," he wrote.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk1Njg0OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzIzNDYzMH0.qY-l-4Cw-EcxGh5DPTV-GVzlaQLfs5t5RVbheEaTZhk/img.jpg?width=980" id="d73c1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0eff7410b6bce6c900e1f04c6e74c3c2" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="799" data-height="534" />
Senator Jon Tester at a press conference to discuss the Land and Water Conservation Fund in 2018. Public domain
<p>In another blow, officials and conservation groups in New Mexico were surprised to learn that <a href="https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2020/12/03/political-retribution-the-doi-rejected-100-of-new-mexicos-proposed-lwcf-projects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">none of their projects</a> proposed to receive funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund were selected by the Department of the Interior. Some believe the move is political retribution for being critical of the Trump administration and its policies.</p>
<h3>4. Dam Raising</h3><p>On Nov. 20 the Trump administration<a href="https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2020/11/20/stories/1063719067?utm_campaign=edition&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eenews%3Agreenwire" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> finalized a plan</a> to raise the height of Northern California's 600-foot Shasta Dam by 18.5 feet, which would allow for more water storage. The reservoir feeds the federally run Central Valley Project, which funnels water hundreds of miles south to cities and farms. That includes the politically connected Westlands Water District in the San Joaquin Valley, which formerly employed Interior Secretary David Bernhardt as a lawyer and lobbyist.</p><p>The state of California has strongly opposed the effort to raise the dam's height because it would flood the McCloud River, protected as wild and scenic. Conservation groups also say the plan would threaten endangered species such as Chinook salmon, delta smelt and Shasta salamanders.</p><p>California Rep. Jared Huffman <a href="https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2020/12/03/stories/1063719719" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">called</a> it the "QAnon of water projects, meaning it's laughably infeasible and just not real."</p><p>The staunchest opposition has come from the <a href="https://www.winnememwintu.us/journey-to-justice/shasta-dam-raise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Winnemem Wintu</a> Tribe, which lost 90% of its sacred sites with the construction of the dam and faces the loss of its remaining sites and burial grounds if the reservoir is expanded.</p>
<h3>5. Pesticide Changes</h3><p>The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (<a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/epa">EPA</a>) announced on Nov. 20 it was taking away a tool states can use to control how pesticides are deployed. The action could further <a href="https://investigatemidwest.org/2020/11/20/trump-epa-removes-tool-states-use-to-protect-farmworkers-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">endanger farmworkers and wildlife</a>.</p><p>A <a href="https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/guidance-fifra-24c-registrations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Section 24 provision</a> of the Federal, Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act lets states set stricter restrictions on federally regulated pesticides in response to local needs and conditions. But after numerous states sought to limit the use of the weed killer dicamba, the agency will now no longer allow states to set more protective rules for any pesticides.</p>
<h3>6. Migratory Birds</h3><p>A gutting of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 took a big step forward at the end of November, clearing the way for the administration to finalize the rule change by the end of Trump's term.</p><p>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/527735-trump-administration-proceeds-with-rollback-of-bird-protections?" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">released its Final Environmental Impact Statement</a> to redefine the scope of the law to no longer penalize the energy industry or developers for "incidentally" killing migratory birds.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk1Njg2My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMzgwNjU5NX0.YmWS3FpbEfdow2E1sfNKCCZctkp4gSsIStTu8Mo9wVw/img.jpg?width=980" id="060b0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4605240abe50bf6e322195cf512208be" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="800" data-height="600" />
Pied-billed grebe on an oil-covered evaporation pond at a commercial oilfield wastewater disposal facility. Pedro Ramirez Jr. / USFWS
<p>The agency's own analysis found that the rule change would "likely result in increased bird mortality" because — without penalties — companies wouldn't take additional precautions to help make sure birds aren't killed by their operations.</p><p>That's already proving true. "Since the administration began pursuing its looser interpretation of the law in April 2018, hundreds of birds have perished without penalty, according to documents compiled by conservation groups this year," The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/11/27/migratory-bird-treaty-act/" target="_blank">reported</a>.</p>
<h3>7. ANWR Auction</h3><p>The Bureau of Land Management announced on Dec. 3 that oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would go on sale on Jan. 6, following a shortened time frame for the nomination and evaluation of potential tracts to be drilled.</p><p>"Once the sale is held, the bureau has to review and approve the leases, a process that typically takes months," The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/03/climate/arctic-refuge-lease-sales.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>. "But holding the sale on Jan. 6 potentially gives the bureau opportunity to finalize the leases before Inauguration Day. That would make it more difficult for the Biden administration to undo them."</p><p>Despite the fact that the Trump administration is intent on opening the door to drilling in the 1.6 million-acre coastal plain — one of the wildest places left in the United States — it's still unclear how interested the oil industry will be. Or how readily they'll be able to finance their operations. All the <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/every-major-bank-has-now-ruled-out-funding-arctic-drill-1845782346" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">major U.S. banks</a> have said they'll no longer fund new oil and gas exploration in the Arctic.</p>
<h3>8. Dirty Air</h3><p>One week into December, the administration finalized its decision <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/epa-overrides-scientists-calls-for-tougher-pollutant-limit/2020/12/07/c21bdf0e-38d7-11eb-aad9-8959227280c4_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">declining to enact stricter standards for regulating industrial soot</a> emissions.</p><p>This came despite the fact that the administration's own scientists found that maintaining the current limits on tiny particles, known as PM 2.5, results in tens of thousands of early deaths each year. And despite the fact Harvard researchers found that those who have lived for decades with high levels of PM 2.5 pollution are at a<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/07/climate/trump-epa-soot-covid.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> greater risk of dying from COVID-19</a>.</p>
<h3>9. Border Wall</h3><p>The incoming Biden administration has vowed to not build another foot of the border wall, but the borderlands ecosystem remains under threat as the Trump administration is continuing to push ahead.</p><p>In some cases wall builders are even attempting to speed up the work.</p><p>"That's happening from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas to Arizona's stunning Coronado National Memorial and Guadalupe Canyon, a wildlife corridor for Mexican gray wolves and endangered jaguars," <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/16/934784015/trumps-border-wall-builders-carry-on-even-though-projects-may-never-be-completed" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NPR reported</a>. "At $41 million a mile, the Arizona sections are the most expensive projects of the entire border wall."</p><p>In Arizona they're needlessly razing vegetation and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/arizona-mountains-blasted-for-trump-wall-no-time-build-2020-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">blasting mountains</a> for roads in remote areas to help enable construction that likely won't even take place.</p>
<h3>10. Harming Whales and Dolphins</h3><p>Trump may be leaving office, but marine mammals won't be able to rest easy. NOAA Fisheries issued a rule on Dec. 9 allowing the oil and gas industry to harm Atlantic spotted dolphins, pygmy whales, dwarf sperm whales, Bryde's whales and other marine mammals in the Gulf of Mexico while using seismic and acoustic mapping, including air guns, to gather data on resources on or below the ocean floor.</p><p>In an effort to further efforts for oil and gas drilling, nearly 200,000 beaked whales and more than 600,000 bottlenose dolphins could be "disturbed." And "pygmy and dwarf sperm whales are expected to be harassed to the point of potential injury, with a mean of 308 whales potentially harmed per year, according to the final rule," E&E News <a href="https://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/2020/12/09/stories/1063720311" target="_blank">reported</a>.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk1Njg3MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMTQwNjc0NX0.pN11eW0akk0qeDUOjrcTXZZgEktLkRv4QP7lYP3DSZ8/img.jpg?width=980" id="fa50b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="34515b25bbefa366cc39a268ae5062a5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="799" data-height="559" />
Dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico. Carey Akin / CC BY-SA 2.0
<h3>11. More Lease Sales</h3><p>The Arctic isn't the only place where the rush is on to exploit public lands. On Dec. 9 the Bureau of Land Management <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/70767/510" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">updated </a>an environmental assessment for a <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2020/12/10/feds-fast-track-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2013 plan for leases</a> to extract climate- and water-polluting tar sands on 2,100 acres in northeastern Utah. But then just days late it hit the pause button on the effort.</p><p>While that one may be on hold, the administration <em>did</em> kick off the sale of leases for oil drilling on <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-12-09/trump-california-oil-leases-sale" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">4,100 acres of federal land in California's Kern County</a> on Dec. 10. The first such sale in the state in eight years could be canceled by the Biden administration and if not, would face legal challenges from environmental groups.</p>
<h3>12. Cost-Benefit Rule</h3><p>One of the administration's biggest parting gifts to industry — the "cost-benefit" rule — was finalized on Dec. 9. It would require the EPA to weigh the economic costs of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution">air pollution</a> regulations but not many of the health benefits that would arise from better protections.</p><p>"In other words, if reducing emissions from power plants also saves tens of thousands of lives each year by cutting soot, those 'co-benefits' should be not be counted," in the EPA's new analysis, The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/12/09/trump-air-pollution/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">explained</a>.</p><p>The rule would be a big blow to efforts to improve public health and curb pollution.</p><p>"The only purpose in making this a regulation seems to be to provide a basis for future lawsuits to slow down or prevent future administrations from regulating," Roy Gamse, an economist and former EPA deputy assistant administrator for planning and evaluation, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-epa-costs/trumps-epa-to-finalize-rule-making-it-harder-to-issue-new-curbs-on-air-pollution-source-idUSKBN28I36K" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told Reuters</a>.</p><p>Slowing down the Biden administration will continue to be a big part of Trump's last month in office — along with the finalization of more rule changes to add insult to injury.</p><p><a href="https://www.law.berkeley.edu/research/clee/reversing-environmental-rollbacks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Legal experts</a> have begun mapping which rollbacks will be quick and easy to undo and those that will take sustained effort. But one thing is certain: There's a long road ahead to reverse dangerous regulations, restore scientific integrity and make up for lost ground on climate change, extinction and other cascading crises.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://therevelator.org/trump-attacks-election/" target="_blank">The Revelator</a>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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A view of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge during Arctic Bird Fest on June 25, 2019. Lisa Hupp / USFWS
By Julia Conley
Conservation campaigners on Thursday accused President Donald Trump of taking a "wrecking ball" to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as the White House announced plans to move ahead with the sale of drilling leases in the 19 million-acre coastal preserve, despite widespread, bipartisan opposition to oil and gas extraction there.
<p><br/></p>
Twitter
<div id="21f45" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a6afe64073afbbc1a8de578a912fe75c"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1334553961173450753" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Today’s decision to guide @Interior’s Arctic Refuge drilling strategy is deeply flawed: It violates Indigenous righ… https://t.co/ypkVlab9WZ</div> — NRDC 🌎🏡 (@NRDC 🌎🏡)<a href="https://twitter.com/NRDC/statuses/1334553961173450753">1607017433.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Seven weeks before Trump is set to leave office, the administration <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/528550-trump-admin-to-sell-oil-leases-at-arctic-wildlife-refuge-before" target="_blank">announced</a> it plans to conduct the sale virtually on Jan. 6. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will enter a notice about the sale in the Federal Registry next week.</p><p>The announcement comes a week after Bank of America <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/01/lame-duck-trump-pushes-arctic-pillage-bank-america-latest-bank-rule-out-drilling" target="_blank">became the latest bank </a>to rule out financing of drilling projects in the Arctic Refuge. JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo have also stated in the past year that they will not give financial backing to fossil fuel extraction in the Arctic, leading the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency last month to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/20/trump-administration-accused-trying-bully-banks-financing-arctic-fossil-fuel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">propose a new rule </a>that would bar financial institutions from refusing to lend to specific sectors in the name of "fair access."</p><p>"Arctic Refuge drilling makes zero sense in today's reality of high oil market volatility and with every major U.S. bank and many international banks unwilling to invest in risky, expensive Arctic oil projects," said Adam Kolton, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League. "The administration is simply rushing to sell off one of the wildest places left on earth for pennies on the dollar before President-elect Biden takes office in January."</p>
<div id="aa452" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="eb00932e62d3b20ed13dffb5594ec80a"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1334510970195111960" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Every major US bank has now walked away from destructive, risky drilling in the Arctic refuge. Banks recognize this… https://t.co/XM7z8EOZMg</div> — Senator Jeff Merkley (@Senator Jeff Merkley)<a href="https://twitter.com/SenJeffMerkley/statuses/1334510970195111960">1607007183.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>According to Kolton, Trump's plan to move forward with his deeply unpopular leasing plan is "yet another dangerous political favor" to the fossil fuel industry and an action which suggests he is eager to do as much damage to the environment before Biden — who opposes drilling in the Arctic Refuge — is inaugurated.</p><p>"President Trump's electoral fate has been sealed and his days in office are numbered," he said. "The fact that the sale will be officially noticed on December 7, one day after we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Arctic Refuge by Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, symbolizes the degree to which the president has taken a wrecking ball to decades of bipartisan conservation support."</p><p>The timing of the announcement, added the Natural Resources Defense Council, makes "a mockery of the ongoing public comment period."</p>
<p>The Gwich'in people, who have hunted caribou on the land that is now the Arctic Refuge for thousands of years, are among the most vocal opponents to drilling in the region. In August the tribe <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2020/08/gwich-allied-groups-sue-trump-agencies-for-illegal-lease-program-arctic" target="_blank">sued</a> the Interior Department and the BLM over the Trump administration's plan to sell leases in the refuge's 1.5 million acre coastal plain.</p><p>"The Interior Department's Arctic Refuge leasing process has been flawed from the outset, ignoring science and Indigenous voices throughout and failing at every turn to sufficiently analyze the impacts drilling will have on our climate, our air and water quality, the health of wildlife or the future of local Indigenous communities," said Kolton.</p><p>In addition to negatively impacting the Gwich'in people, opponents <a href="https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2019/public-overwhelmingly-opposes-drilling-in-arctic-refuge" target="_blank">say</a> drilling in the Arctic Refuge would also harm the polar bears that live there and have already been harmed by the warming of the planet, numerous fish species, and nearly 200 species of migratory birds.</p><p>"For decades, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has stood as a symbol of our nation's strong natural legacy," said Ellen Montgomery, public lands campaign director for Environment America. "Its breathtaking landscape is home to endangered polar bears, caribou, wolves, muskoxen, and migratory birds that travel annually to all 50 states. Destroying their home in the craven desire for more oil is a tragic mistake."</p><p>"Once this seal is broken, there is no going back," Montgomery added. "Industrial-level oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Refuge cannot occur without doing catastrophic damage to vital habitats."</p><p>According to a poll released in August by Morning Consult, just 31% of Americans<a href="https://morningconsult.com/2020/08/24/oil-gas-drilling-public-lands-arctic-refuge-poll/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> support</a> drilling in the Arctic Refuge.</p><p>In light of public opinion, banks' unwillingness to fund drilling projects, and signs that renewable energy industries are <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2219927-us-green-economy-has-10-times-more-jobs-than-the-fossil-fuel-industry/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">poised to grow faster</a> than the fossil fuel sector in the coming years, Kolton said, "any oil company bidding on this sale will face not only economic challenges, but enormous reputational and legal risks as well."</p><p>"America is transitioning to a new administration that has already pledged to protect the refuge," said Montgomery. "We are rapidly moving to renewable energy and clean transportation options. We don't need the current administration to jam this through, using a 'going out of business sale' approach. We strongly urge oil companies to take a pass." </p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg2NzI0OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NjQyNzAxMn0.T6Fl-qyJTgAv2YIRFLz7NGxQqjIdHJ1Gcj9CQxHDFcs/img.jpg?width=980" id="0ac88" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e2e7747f5ec85c57a804b5a38c48d874" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="675" />
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/03/just-days-exit-trump-plans-going-out-business-sale-arctic-drilling-leases" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>The Sheenjek River in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Alexis Bonogofsky / USFWS
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Polar bears are seen in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Alan D. Wilson / Wikimedia Commons / CC by 3.0
After ongoing pressure from environmental groups and Indigenous communities, Bank of America has said it will not finance any oil and gas exploration in the Arctic, making it the last major U.S. financial institution to do so.
<p>The decision is especially significant because outgoing President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_self">Donald Trump</a> has <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-arctic-wildlife-drilling-plan-2647013527.html" target="_self">opened up</a> the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/arctic-national-wildlife-refuge" target="_self">Arctic National Wildlife Refuge</a> (ANWR) to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuel" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> exploration, and is <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-anwr-oil-leases-2648954756.html" target="_self">rushing</a> to sell leases for drilling in the refuge before leaving office.</p><p>"It has long been clear that drilling in the Arctic Refuge would trample Indigenous rights, threaten vulnerable <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">wildlife</a>, and worsen the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>. Now that every major American bank has stated unequivocally that they will not finance this destructive activity, it should be clearer than ever that any oil company considering participating in Trump's ill-advised lease sale should stay away," <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/" target="_blank">Sierra Club</a> Senior Campaign Representative Ben Cushing said in a <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2020/11/bank-america-announcement-every-major-us-bank-has-ruled-out-funding-for" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">press release responding to the news</a>.</p><p>Bank of America first announced its decision to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-30/bofa-says-it-won-t-finance-oil-and-gas-exploration-in-the-arctic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bloomberg News on Monday</a> and confirmed it to <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20201201-bank-of-america-latest-to-say-no-to-financing-arctic-drilling" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AFP</a>. In the statement, the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank said it had unofficially refrained from financing Arctic drilling for a long time.</p>
<p>"There's been misunderstanding around our position, but we have not historically participated in project finance for oil and gas exploration in the Arctic," Bank of America head of public policy and strategy in Washington Larry Di Rita told Bloomberg. "But given that misinterpretation, we've determined that it's time to codify our existing practice into policy."</p><p>The Sierra Club singled out Bank of America after Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Chase, Wells Fargo and Citi all announced official no-Arctic-drilling policies this year.</p><p>Bank of America emphasized its environmental commitments to Bloomberg. It has pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and aims to fund green bonds and support global climate solutions.</p>
<p>Its announcement raises further doubt about the likely success of Trump's push to lease parcels of ANWR before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20. Some analysts have pointed out it may be difficult to finalize sales by that date, AFP reported. Oil prices are also hovering around $45 a barrel, so companies may not be motivated to lease drilling sites far from major infrastructure. International financial institutions have also promised not to fund drilling in the refuge.</p><p>"Nearly 30 major banks around the world (now including all 6 major U.S. banks!) have concluded that funding new Arctic drilling — especially the Arctic Refuge, which Trump is recklessly trying to destroy — is far too risky and bad for business," Cushing <a href="https://twitter.com/bmcushing/status/1333544873530679297" target="_blank">tweeted</a>.</p><p>Environmental and Indigenous groups have long opposed drilling in the ANWR, partly because of its potential impact on Indigenous rights and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species" target="_self">endangered species</a> such as polar bears and caribou. ANWR's coastal plain is the birthing and nursing ground for the Porcupine Caribou herd, and the Gwich'in Nation of Canada and Alaska considers it the "Sacred Place Where Life Begins." In 1988, the nation formed the <a href="https://ourarcticrefuge.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gwich'in Steering Committee</a> to oppose oil and gas drilling on the plain.</p><p>"The Trump administration has never even pretended to care about the Indigenous communities whose human rights would be threatened by the destruction of the coastal plain, but major financial institutions are listening to us," Gwich'in Steering Committee Executive Director Bernadette Demientieff said in the Sierra Club press release. "We will never stop fighting to protect the sacred calving grounds from destructive drilling, and we will prevail."</p>
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Trump Rushes To Sell Oil Drilling Leases in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
17 November 2020
Politics
A polar bear in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. sarkophoto / iStock / Getty Images Plus
The lame duck Trump administration is making a rushed last-minute push to sell leases to oil companies in the long-protected Arctic National Wildlife Refuge before Inauguration Day, numerous outlets reported.
<p>On Monday, the Interior Department issued a "call for nominations" asking oil companies to request specific parcels of land to be made available for drilling. Completing the lease sales before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20. would make it harder, though not necessarily impossible, for the Biden administration to prevent oil drilling in ANWR. </p>
<p>"Any company thinking about participating in this corrupt process should know that they will have to answer to the Gwich'in people and the millions of Americans who stand with us," said Bernadette Demientieff, executive director of the Gwich'in Steering Committee, in a statement. Despite the Trump administration's efforts, oil companies may still struggle to drill in ANWR, given substantial logistical costs and recent moves by major financiers to stop funding drilling there.</p>
<p>As reported by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/17/energy-202-trump-last-minute-environmental-rules-changes-may-make-things-hard-biden/?gsBNFDNDN=undefined&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=100094447&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--muxoJ6W-NiuLzhqp58oQPsluYQ7BoqUludCYWWO3zuPxRt7lmfMvLF_w6A3XahYlJox4fmWGkTv0DMq7zGPpPDqfUMw&utm_content=100094447&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>:</p><blockquote>It's unclear if drillers will even want to take on the legal, political and engineering challenges of extracting oil and gas from the pristine, frozen landscape. Some major banks have already announced they will not fund oil and gas activities in the Arctic in response to environmental pressure.</blockquote><blockquote>But in other cases, the Biden administration will have to go through an entirely new process all over again to stop the Trump rules from taking effect. That could potentially siphon time and energy away from other environmental protection efforts — including heading off the disastrous rise in temperatures because of global warming.For a deeper dive:</blockquote>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br/></p><p><a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/16/935527352/trump-administration-rushes-to-sell-oil-rights-in-arctic-national-wildlife-refug?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=100094447&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Iy4vgU0VwcBsvd8ZgPYa0tEfRetTRoVpuaQi5wtEKBXnd0ssQN0W87XyuL-8kiL9Vynoqb5BqJnrUeD44y40vPOfGrg&utm_content=100094447&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NPR</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/climate/trump-oil-drilling-alaska.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=100094447&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9gMCu3b5xY5yWcrB2OGXjPFEHXO_YC0_h_TuvyBnT2imDn521f_Vrcca6P28cG-52U83dH7SAfF1PR1TzpMHoAFZB8YA&utm_content=100094447&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVHcDp96MtDhW66ZqrD6fzQpjW5XFwz14jw9XhN6L2Zqy5nxG7V3Zsc37CgLx3W1VD3Db64bstZW5k9vCw4yDxZbW2vd2x12BRRqWW4N4SKS2BFyGrW67tPGH96THsrW9dMYLj952kbqW46xkkj1Sk8TxW7PM8N97RW_JGW7VVt-z2BPHkQW7KRbgf7PspgSW6VRGgR20X_NRW8ztYFj6XCg6VW2VVLvl50rs-ZW5qG-Kp1wfByKW5DH-https://login.politicopro.com/?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fsubscriber.politicopro.com%2Farticle%2F2020%2F11%2Ftrump-rushing-arctic-oil-lease-sale-before-biden-arrival-2019512%3Futm_campaign%3DHot%2520News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=100094447&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-__EWS5tzOypKW9D04PNl7MIQzuoJrLohq5xPY-IQB0MXnnq4eBo8uCM6Q4E-dlW8CjAvMHsc15IdsokubyjHvblLOa7A&utm_content=100094447&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Politico Pro</a>, <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/526144-trump-major-step-drilling-alaska-wildlife-refuge-biden?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=100094447&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_q57x6pgeunu1kndb0vzy67XLzkCrNyFLaF7O3eA7x29f0Uz9Mj5LaaVGO-Uw86ycqS4earOc2oqkwmEuTb-eLq6qUaA&utm_content=100094447&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Hill</a>, <a href="https://www.axios.com/the-next-step-in-arctic-refuge-drilling-fight-00e1fe0d-f3db-48a7-a9a1-d908769f94df.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=100094447&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_D2wyXnY7jBUz9RwgnT9UT4OZCm6Z1OlSyC5mreZGKJvCAKJLy7U6C1EVQIGlff1_ug17S1OAS2u3J4Daq52vPf-vGKw&utm_content=100094447&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Axios</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/17/energy-202-trump-last-minute-environmental-rules-changes-may-make-things-hard-biden/?gsBNFDNDN=undefined&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=100094447&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--muxoJ6W-NiuLzhqp58oQPsluYQ7BoqUludCYWWO3zuPxRt7lmfMvLF_w6A3XahYlJox4fmWGkTv0DMq7zGPpPDqfUMw&utm_content=100094447&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a><br/></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Trump Administration Plans Seismic Testing for Oil in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge This Winter
26 October 2020
Politics
A caribou in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Danielle Brigida / CC BY 2.0
The Trump administration released on Friday its plan to start oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) this winter, as The Hill reported.
<p>The <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2003258/510" target="_blank">plan</a> was put forth by the Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation and released by the Bureau of Land Management. The plan calls for the start of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/seismic-airgun-blasting">seismic testing</a> on millions of acres, spanning an 847.8 square mile area, on the east side of the refuge in an area where polar bears and other <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife">wildlife</a> reside. The seismic testing will allow the Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation to detect the presence of oil in the area.</p><p>Seismic testing works in a way that is similar to ultrasound technology. It generates acoustic waves deep underground that produce a picture that can pinpoint oil deposits, according to The Hill.</p>
<p>The Bureau of Land Management said it would allow for 14 days of public comment before deciding if it should issue a permit, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/24/climate/anwr-seismic-tests-arctic-refuge.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</p><p>Environmental activists have argued that the short timeframe means it is impossible to conduct an adequate environmental review of the proposal. The plan involves using heavy trucks fanned out across the area to create a grid pattern. It also requires a crew of 180 workers who would need ample supplies and mobile living quarters, according to The New York Times.</p><p>The National Wildlife Federation argues that the rushed comment period in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic ensures that public opposition will not be heard adequately.</p>
<p>"This is a desperate attempt to jam through a plan that could kill denning polar bears, imperil other wildlife, threaten the Gwich'in people, and cause long-lasting damage to the Arctic," said Tracy Stone-Manning, associate vice president for public lands at the National Wildlife Federation, in a <a href="https://www.nwf.org/Latest-News/Press-Releases/2020/10-23-20-Arctic-Seismic-Testing" target="_blank">statement</a>. "By rushing this plan through while ordinary Americans are focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and their own health and safety, it's clear this administration wants to cut the public out of public lands in order to advance its dangerously myopic and misguided energy agenda."</p><p>The company intending to conduct the seismic test said it will exercise caution should it encounter any wildlife during its exploration. Environmentalists countered that it's not the interactions that worry them as much as the permanent alterations to the Arctic tundra that could upset the delicate balance of the ecosystem that polar bears and other animals depend on.</p>
<p>"Allowing huge thumper trucks and camps onto sacred lands where they leave deep and lasting wounds is a threat to my people, the animals, our food, and our way of life," said Bernadette Demientieff, the executive director of the Gwich'in Steering Committee, in a statement, as The Hill reported. "We have raised concerns repeatedly about this administration rushing the process and shortcutting our review."</p><p>The Wilderness Society also sees the plan as a politically motivated move that will silence the public.</p><p>"The submission of this application and BLM's choice to act on it so close to the election shows how desperate the administration is to turn over one of the nation's most sensitive landscapes to the oil industry," said Lois Epstein, director of the Arctic program for the Wilderness Society, in a statement, as The New York Times reported. "The federal government is recklessly rushing and irresponsibly denying the public adequate time to assess the application and submit comments."</p><p>The New York Times also noted that the proposal calls for the work to be carried out by Houston-based SAExploration, which declared bankruptcy, and was accused of accounting fraud earlier this month by the Securities and Exchange Commission.</p>
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A polar bear with cubs at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in North Slope, Alaska in 2014. Steven Kazlowski / Barcroft Medi via Getty Images
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, thanks to protections put in place 60 years ago, has remained a pristine oasis in the most remote section of Alaska. Now, the Trump administration is finalizing plans to end those protections and to lease the federal lands to oil and gas exploration, according to The New York Times.
<p>The maneuver will allow oil and gas companies to exploit the vast reserves that sit under what environmentalists call "the last great wilderness," according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/17/trump-alaska-arctic-wildlife-refuge-drilling" target="_blank">The Guardian.</a></p><p>The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is estimated to sit above billions of barrels of oil. However, the 19-million acre sanctuary is home to polar bears, various waterfowl, migrating caribou and Arctic foxes that make the area their year-round home. In all, the refuge is home to more than 270 species, including the world's remaining Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears, 250 musk oxen and 300,000 snow geese, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/08/17/trump-drilling-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-alaska/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>.</p>
<p>The Trump administration plans to open the perimeter to drilling, roughly 1.6 million acres in coastline, as The New York Times reported.</p><p>The Department of the Interior said it had completed all the requisite reviews and intended to start selling leases to the land soon. Speaking to reporters, Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt said, "I do believe there could be a lease sale by the end of the year," as The New York Times reported.</p><p>Bernhardt added that offering the leases, "marks a new chapter in American energy independence" and predicted it could "create thousands of new jobs," according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/17/politics/trump-arctic-wildlife-drilling/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>.</p><p>He also said in his conference call with reporters that he was moving forward with a 2017 budget bill, passed by a Republican-led congress, that insisted that the Federal government open up oil and gas leasing on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/08/17/trump-drilling-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-alaska/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>.</p>
<p>The push to open up the wildlife refuge marks a significant energy policy for an administration that has been hostile to the urgency of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-crisis">climate crisis</a> and invested heavily in greenhouse gas-emitting <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuels</a>. According to <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2019/11/20/477495/trumps-energy-policies-put-alaska-climate-crosshairs/" target="_blank">research</a> from the Centers for American Progress, the drilling would result in more than 4.3 billion tons of CO2 emissions, which is roughly 75 percent of the nation's annual carbon dioxide emissions, according to The Washington Post.</p><p>"This is our nation's last great wilderness," said Adam Kolton, the executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League, as The Guardian reported. "Nowhere else in the five-nation circle polar north do you have such abundant and diverse wildlife."</p>
<p>The migrating porcupine caribou is important to the culture of the indigenous Gwich'in people, many of whom reside alongside the caribou's migrating pattern.</p><p>"This area they just opened is their calving grounds," said Bernadette Demienti, executive director of the Gwich'in steering committee, as The Guardian reported. "This is a place that is so sacred to the Gwich'in that we don't go there. Our creation story tells us that we made a vow with the caribou that we would take care of each other. They have taken care of us, and now it is our turn to take care of them."</p><p>Demienti added that the caribou have already started to change their migration pattern as global warming afflicts the Arctic at a rapid pace, changing the landscape and the vegetation that the ruminants rely on.</p><p>Environmentalists like Kolton intend to fight the leases in federal court, where a protracted legal battle is expected to play out.</p><p>"We will continue to fight this at every turn," said Kolton in a statement, as The New York Times reported. "Any oil company that would seek to drill in the Arctic Refuge will face enormous reputational, legal and financial risks."</p>
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A polar bear with two playful cubs. Jennie Gosché
By Jennie Gosché
In late 2019, before the world was completely upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, I was presented a last-minute chance to photograph polar bears outside one of the northernmost villages in the United States — Kaktovik, Alaska. It was an opportunity I couldn't refuse, and as the COVID-19 pandemic now stretches into summer 2020, I'm grateful I accepted.
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUxMzU2My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NDg0NDEyOX0.ducqI5scB-Y8YGfBjJy8MH782PWfHnMc3M2N5yrh9dE/img.jpg?width=980" id="86ac9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="99cd2f84506e478d8022f6c9a3064b44" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1600" data-height="1067" />
Polar bears adorn the sign leading into Kaktovik. Jennie Gosché
<p>Kaktovik is an Inupiat native village of around 250 people on the coast of the Arctic Ocean, located on barrier islands at the edge of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. My first trip there took place in September 2016, and I traveled with the purpose to photograph the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/southern-beaufort-sea-polar-bear-population-declined-2000s#:~:text=The%20polar%20bear%20was%20listed,ice%20loss%20on%20their%20populations." target="_blank">threatened Southern Beaufort Sea polar bear population</a>. The coastal region of the Arctic Refuge in fall is a special place to photograph these magnificent animals, as they congregate on dirt and sand spits of land waiting for the winter ice of the Beaufort Sea to make its way to the Alaska shore.</p><p>During the late summer and early fall, Inupiat boat owners from Kaktovik guide "tourist" photographers out to view polar bears from a safe distance in the placid lagoon adjacent to the raging waves of the Beaufort Sea. I joined one such group of photographers led by <a href="https://hughrosephotography.com/" target="_blank">Hugh Rose</a>, a professional photographer and geologist who lives in Fairbanks, and we took a short charter flight from Deadhorse to Kaktovik, landing in a morning snowstorm. But by afternoon, the sun was out and we had three and a half days of sunshine that combined with the ice and snow to create great conditions in which to photograph polar bears.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUxMzU2Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MDE1ODE5M30.wlTpUch74PsdZbvOOVmlJLlEfOS3UHI9S1yb1orCbf4/img.jpg?width=980" id="f9de2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="57baaf66d893539215aba68cdae72e8c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="512" data-height="331" />
The welcome sign at the Waldo Arms Hotel. Jeff Stamer / www.firefallphotography.com
<p>We were out in the lagoon twice a day, breaking only for lunch at our hotel, the modest but welcoming <a href="http://www.waldoarmshotel.net/" target="_blank">Waldo Arms Hotel</a> owned by Walt "Waldo" Audi and Merlyn Trainer — one of only two options for places to stay in Kaktovik when visiting. The boat guides are skilled, and they have to be, because knowledge and awareness of depths in the lagoon is critical to prevent a boat from getting stuck in shallow water.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUxMzU2Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NzQ0NzQ1NH0.8LgGTAoqcrRC2fk3XirhyPMIRAFLzpaan5NmnJ9C6Rc/img.jpg?width=980" id="4bf06" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="28ddc335167786f68044d07a092f1d82" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="512" data-height="341" />
Polar bear viewing is done by boat for the safety of both people and polar bears. Jennie Gosché
<p>This trip we were in a boat with a heated cabin, a perk since we were there later in the season. Our boat driver, however, told us that at that very same time the previous year, the lagoon was completely frozen over. He shared this as we floated on the lagoon in open water, though ice was visible in places and we occasionally heard pieces rubbing against the hull of the metal boat.</p><p>____________________________________________________________________________________________________________</p><p>With rapidly rising temperatures, <a href="http://forestry.alaska.gov/Assets/pdfs/firestats/2019%20Alaska%20Fire%20Statistics.pdf" target="_blank">increases in wildfires</a>, thawing permafrost, receding glaciers, <a href="https://www.alaskapublic.org/2019/11/21/new-report-sheds-more-light-on-climate-change-impacts-to-alaska-native-villages/" target="_blank">eroding coastlines</a> and disappearing sea ice, <a href="https://www.cjr.org/special_report/whats-become-of-arctic.php" target="_blank">Alaska and the Arctic are on the front lines of climate change</a>. It has hit Alaska's rural communities and <a href="https://www.alaskapublic.org/2019/11/21/new-report-sheds-more-light-on-climate-change-impacts-to-alaska-native-villages/" target="_blank">Alaska Native villages especially hard</a>, including villages like <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/11/25/changes-in-climate-make-alaskas-traditional-ice-cellars-unreliable/" target="_blank">Kaktovik</a>. Warming waters and the disappearing Arctic ice cap are also impacting ocean life, from plankton to <a href="https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Polar-bears-face-swimming-to-land-or-ecological-trap-as-sea-ice-diminishes-567243261.html" target="_blank">polar bears</a> to whales. And the decline in sea ice is making it <a href="https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/seaice/environment/indigenous_impacts.html" target="_blank">increasingly unsafe for humans and wildlife to travel across it</a> to hunt marine mammals like seals, walrus and bowhead whales.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUxMzU2OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0ODkyMzUyMH0.yboTwh7hnlLyKF3hiJn3JAF_ClTFFXjxSx0bFMDvLLM/img.jpg?width=980" id="7fcbc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="dd629612d9e0b2b3d95ca96a1fafe6d3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="512" data-height="384" />
Coastal erosion is causing permafrost to thaw and break off, here along the Arctic coastal plain in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area of the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska. Brandt Meixell, U.S.Geological Survey
<p>The Inupiat are primarily subsistence hunters and whalers, harvesting whales each summer (in addition to caribou and other wildlife), the meat from which is shared by the entire village. It is a staple of their diet and has been for thousands of years, but as temperatures warm, the lack of ice combined with changes in whale migration patterns and timing could make hunting progressively more difficult.</p><p>The Inupiat <a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic/pbcommunity.html" target="_blank">share their whale meat with the polar bears</a>, something they have done for many years. This gesture provides much needed food for polar bears, especially as they spend longer periods of time on land due to the receding sea ice. When I visited Kaktovik in 2016, my most memorable photo is of a cub on top of whale bones, shaking what looks like animal skin in its mouth.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUxMzU3MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MDg0OTE0N30.0_0GgJUfWyM96OOfooius3AoGASWNwoUjBk40SVeES4/img.jpg?width=980" id="f176f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="babdb9d27ca6834212bc276596e92df3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1600" data-height="930" />
Bears have learned to scavenge whale carcasses left over from successful whaling hunts. Jennie Gosché
<p>As I returned to the village in late 2019, however, they had moved the bone pile away from the lagoon to an area off-limits to tourists. I was told the bone pile now only stays on land for a short time, and then the bones are pushed into the ocean. Eventually, this change could affect the overall health of the Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears, as many of them increasingly den on land in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and utilize the shared whale meat for sustenance during the summer and early fall before they enter their maternal birthing dens in November.<br>____________________________________________________________________________________________________________</p><p>Which brings me back to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as wild a place as any other on Earth but one also under threat of oil and gas development. While in Kaktovik I learned that there is not a consensus in the village on the question of allowing oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Climate change and impacts to wildlife are serious concerns, so much so that more than 60 village residents <a href="https://www.adn.com/opinions/2017/12/13/those-who-would-open-anwr-do-not-speak-for-kaktovik/" target="_blank">signed a petition in 2017 opposing drilling on the Arctic Refuge coastal plain</a>.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUxMzU3My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMzY1Mzk4OH0.mbTdFW-RUFS12gFR5cnUKtB7aERaAYyfBpAo7FpL6EU/img.jpg?width=980" id="a986f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a69634ab2a4cb7218e73571fb67e8825" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="512" data-height="341" />
Oil production facilities dominate the region around Prudhoe Bay, to the West of the Arctic Refuge. Florian Schulz / www.florianschulz.org
<p>Helping to prevent development in the <a href="https://www.alaskawild.org/places-we-protect/arctic-refuge/" target="_blank">Arctic National Wildlife Refuge</a> — a place that supports the greatest variety of plant and animal life in the entire circumpolar north — is very important to me, not least of all because the <a href="https://www.alaskawild.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/USGS-wildlife-report-statement-1-26-2018-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">U.S. government has admitted</a> it simply doesn't have enough information about the impacts of oil and gas development on the coastal plain to protect its wildlife and other values. Oil drilling <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2019/11/20/477495/trumps-energy-policies-put-alaska-climate-crosshairs/" target="_blank">will compound the devastating climate impacts</a> already being felt by villages in the region, increasing carbon emissions, worsening climate pollution and further harming front line communities.</p><p>Especially now, in the midst of an uncertain present and looking forward to an uncertain future, we need to press pause on Arctic Refuge development. Instead of recklessly rushing ahead, more research over extended periods of time is needed so that we can fully understand the potential impact oil drilling will have on local villages, our climate and wildlife like the majestic polar bear.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUxMzU3NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NTcxMjg3NX0.vGKHDYb33sKdlDGRU9frMekl9_N8lJBALumUl58n-hQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="972ae" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="00847007e12c1478891865721f7dc0c6" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="512" data-height="341" />
A mother nurses her cubs. Jennie Gosché
<p><em>Jennie Gosché has traveled to the Arctic seven times to photograph polar bears. Having visited the five countries where polar bears are found (Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia, the United States and Canada), Kaktovik, Alaska, has become her favorite place to photograph them. Jennie's photography has been exhibited in Washington, D.C., Minneapolis and Maryland. She is a member of Alaska Wilderness League.</em></p>
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Protesters hold signs at a protest inside JP Morgan Chase headquarters in Manhattan on Nov. 20. As Goldman Sachs divests from Arctic Oil explorations, Rainforest Action Network says the move shows other Big Banks like JP Morgan Chase can too. Erik McGregor / LightRocket / Getty Images
Goldman Sachs, one of the world's largest investment banks, gave a minor victory to the divestment movement by declaring that it will not fund an new arctic oil explorations, as CNN reported.
<p>Citing the importance of the Arctic's fragile ecosystem and its importance to indigenous populations, the investing giant said it will decline investing in any oil exploration in the Arctic, including the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/Arctic-National-Wildlife-Refuge" rel="noopener noreferrer">Arctic National Wildlife Refuge</a>.</p>
<p>"Oil development in the Arctic Circle is prone to harsh operating conditions, sea ice, permafrost coverage, and potential impacts to critical natural habitats for endangered species," Goldman Sachs said in its <a href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/s/environmental-policy-framework/#climateChangeGuidelines" target="_blank">Environmental Policy Framework</a>. "The unique and fragile ecosystems of the Arctic region also support the subsistence livelihoods of indigenous peoples groups that have populated certain areas in the region for centuries."</p>
<p>Goldman Sachs also said in its <a href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/s/environmental-policy-framework/#climateChangeGuidelines" target="_blank">policy framework</a> that it would not finance any new thermal coal mines or any <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/mountaintop-removal" rel="noopener noreferrer">mountaintop removal</a> projects. It added that where it has already invested, it would work with companies to diversify their strategies and reduce their carbon emissions. </p>
<p>"Companies' diversification strategy and carbon emissions reduction initiatives will be a key consideration in our evaluation of future financings with the goal of helping their transition strategy," the <a href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/s/environmental-policy-framework/#climateChangeGuidelines" target="_blank">Environmental Policy Framework</a> says. "We will phase out our financing of thermal coal mining companies that do not have a diversification strategy within a reasonable timeframe."</p>
<p>Goldman Sachs follows a dozen <a href="https://www.banktrack.org/campaign/banks_that_ended_direct_finance_for_arctic_oil_andor_gas_projects#_" target="_blank">global banks</a>, based largely in Europe and Australia, that pledged not to finance Arctic <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil-and-gas">oil and gas</a> development in the arctic. Several of the policies mention Arctic National Wildlife Refuge specifically, as <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/12/02/775439649/as-climate-warnings-grow-dire-energy-companies-face-a-new-frontier-of-threats" target="_blank">NPR</a> reported. Goldman is the first U.S. headquartered bank to make the same promise, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/16/investing/premarket-stocks-trading/" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p>
<p>"Goldman Sachs's updated policy shows that US banks can draw red lines on oil and gas, and now other major US banks, especially JPMorgan Chase – the world's worst banker of fossil fuels by a wide margin – must improve on what Goldman has done," said Jason Opeña Disterhoft, a climate and energy campaigner at Rainforest Action Network, <a href="https://www.ran.org/press-releases/goldman-sachs-adopts-fossil-finance-policy/" target="_blank">which helped to lobby for the change</a>, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/dec/16/goldman-sachs-to-stop-financing-new-drilling-for-oil-in-the-arctic" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported.</p>
<p>The move did win praise from environmental activists, including the Sierra Club, though it did not extend to fracking, which environmentalists had campaigned for. Nevertheless, the Sierra Club, which had lobbied Goldman Sachs to stop funding Arctic exploration, praised the bank's pledge. </p>
<p>"The Trump administration may not care about ignoring the will of the American people or trampling Indigenous rights, but a growing number of major financial institutions are making it clear that they do," said Ben Cushing, a Sierra Club campaign representative, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/dec/16/goldman-sachs-to-stop-financing-new-drilling-for-oil-in-the-arctic" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported. "We hope other American banks will follow their lead."</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: <a href="https://twitter.com/GoldmanSachs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GoldmanSachs</a> just became the first major American bank to prohibit financing for new Arctic oil, thermal coal mining, and coal power projects worldwide! 👏👏 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DefundClimateChange?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DefundClimateChange</a> <a href="https://t.co/y023bKh2Gr">https://t.co/y023bKh2Gr</a></p>— Ben Cushing (@bmcushing) <a href="https://twitter.com/bmcushing/status/1206310459902758913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><p>The divestment movement scored another large victory last week when insurance giant Liberty Mutual announced new policies that will see the company move away from protecting the coal industry. Liberty Mutual became the 18th global insurance company to put tighter restrictions on underwriting coal, according to the trade publication <a href="https://www.propertycasualty360.com/2019/12/16/liberty-mutual-announces-restrictions-to-coal-coverage-and-investing/?slreturn=20191116092313" target="_blank">Property Casualty 360</a>.</p><p>Liberty Mutual said it will no longer underwrite risk for companies where more than a quarter of their risk comes from coal, nor will it invest in the stock of companies that have more than 25 percent of their portfolio in coal, and it will phase out its coverage and its investments in any country that does not meet that threshold, according to a company <a href="https://www.libertymutualgroup.com/about-lm/news/articles/liberty-mutual-insurance-appoints-first-chief-sustainability-officer-oversee-continued-development-environmental-social-and-governance-agenda" target="_blank">statement</a>. </p><p>"We are committed to being a responsible global corporate citizen with a focus on environmental sustainability, supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy and investing in companies that show proven progress in this evolution," said Francis Hyatt, the company's newly appointed Chief Sustainability Officer, in the <a href="https://www.libertymutualgroup.com/about-lm/news/articles/liberty-mutual-insurance-appoints-first-chief-sustainability-officer-oversee-continued-development-environmental-social-and-governance-agenda" target="_blank">statement</a>. "We understand the shift from coal to clean energy is a journey and we recognize the role the insurance industry plays in supporting that evolution for our customers.</p><p>Activists welcomed the commitment from Liberty Mutual, but worried about the loopholes it created for itself. </p><p>"While Liberty Mutual's new policy sets out strong restrictions on insuring coal companies, it apparently does not rule out covering new coal-fired power plants or coal mines from companies with less than a 25 per cent stake in coal," said Elana Sulkshana, Rainforest Action Network's energy finance campaigner, in a statement, as <a href="https://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/3084685/insurer-liberty-mutual-halts-underwriting-for-coal-firms" target="_blank">Business Green</a> reported. "This is a major loophole because, to keep warming below 1.5C, the science is clear that the climate cannot withstand any new coal projects."</p><p>"Liberty Mutual must strengthen its policy to clearly rule out insuring any new coal mines or power plants, fully phase out coal across all insurance and investment activities in line with 1.5 C, and stop insuring the destructive tar sands sector," she added.</p>
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Polar bear cub in the snow at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. P. de Graaf / Moment / Getty Images
The Trump administration has asserted that "there is not a climate crisis" as justification for expanding drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
<p>E&E first reported Monday that the Bureau of Land Management's Environmental Impact Statement for expanded drilling in Alaska, released last month, contains stark denier language tucked into the vast appendix, where BLM staff attorney Brook Brisson responds to public criticisms of the proposal. Brisson asserts in response to a comment asking BLM to acknowledge that drilling "is inconsistent with maintaining a livable planet" that "societies prospered" in previous warm periods in Earth's history. </p><p>In July, Politico published <a href="https://climatenexus.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=46a3e3e1b8&e=0afd421a28" target="_blank">an extensive report</a> detailing the exhaustive and political edits to and deletions of scientific work in the statement.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="c2a82" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="DUTA661576661380"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1177247901279576074" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The administration says it doesn't have to worry about #climatechange impacts from drilling in our Arctic National… https://t.co/YayHIArlH9</div> — Natural Resources Committee (@Natural Resources Committee)<a href="https://twitter.com/NRDems/statuses/1177247901279576074">1569512746.0</a></blockquote></div>
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<p>The Politico report explains the pristine wilderness at the Arctic National Wildlife Refugee:</p><blockquote>For decades, the refuge has been the subject of a very public tug of war between pro-drilling forces and conservation advocates determined to protect an ecosystem crucial to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/polar-bears" rel="noopener noreferrer">polar bears</a>, herds of migratory caribou, and native communities that rely on the wildlife for subsistence hunting. The Trump tax law, for the first time since the refuge was established in 1980, handed the advantage decisively to the drillers.</blockquote><blockquote><strong></strong></blockquote><p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://climatenexus.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=337c38f3c7&e=0afd421a28" target="_blank">E&E</a> $, <a href="https://climatenexus.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=a2f3f98a12&e=0afd421a28" target="_blank">The Hill</a></p>
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