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" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg2NzI0OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMzM1NTAxMn0.p0VJn1wad-svlR0j6HZIKdjTdplbcN8XPG4YwXeAvbw/img.jpg?width=980" id="e3345" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e2e7747f5ec85c57a804b5a38c48d874" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<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
From Your Site Articles
- Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Ban Drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ›
- Bank of America Promises It Won't Fund Arctic Drilling - EcoWatch ›
- Trump's Drilling Leases on Public Lands Could Lead to 4.7B Metric ... ›
- Trump Administration's Alaska Oil and Gas Lease Sale a 'Major Flop ... ›
- Will Oil Companies Drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ... ›
Read More
Show Less
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
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>
From Your Site Articles
- Bank of America Sponsors Polluted Air and Chicago Marathon ... ›
- Youth Activists Hit the Streets to Protest Bank of America - EcoWatch ›
- Environmental and Economic Justice Communities Target Bank of ... ›
- Trump Plans 'Going Out of Business' Sale With Arctic Drilling Leases - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
ice water with recycled straws
Photo by abillionveg on Unsplash
There's no shortage of CBD products on the market today, especially when it comes to CBD oils. These tinctures are the most popular way to take CBD, but there is so much variety amongst CBD oils it can be hard to know which one is the right choice for you. Among the different flavor options, CBD strengths, and types of hemp extracts (like full-spectrum CBD oil vs CBD isolate), there is another potential differentiator when it comes to CBD oil: water solubility.
<h2>What is Water Soluble CBD?</h2><p>Cannabidiol (CBD for short) is a well-known cannabinoid found within cannabis plants that is widely used as a wellness supplement in oil form.</p><p>Water soluble CBD is an up-and-coming product that exists primarily to simplify the process of adding CBD oil to beverages since it mixes easily with liquids. Traditional CBD oil tinctures don't blend as well into liquid drinks because the oil is less dense than water and separates easily. However, water soluble CBD oil may also provide other advantages through its potential enhancement of bioavailability.</p><p>You see in order to make water soluble CBD oil, the Cannabidiol molecules must be transformed into "nanoparticles." These tiny CBD particles are "nano-emulsified" and might be easier for the body to absorb due to their smaller size. This is a common process that has been used in pharmaceutical medicine for years, and the technology may prove to be beneficial in the CBD industry as well.</p><p>However, water soluble CBD can be harder to come by since it involves a more intense production process in order to create these nanoparticles of CBD. Fortunately I've had the benefit of trying hundreds of CBD oil products, some of which are water soluble, and below are my top three recommendations based on several factors including price, hemp source, customer service and reviews, as well as my own experience after trying these products.</p><h2>Best Water Soluble CBD Products</h2>
<h2>Is Water Soluble CBD Better Than CBD Oil?</h2><p>Due to the ease of absorption for nano CBD, the effects of water soluble CBD oil may be much more effective than regular CBD hemp oil. Because of this, water soluble CBD is making headway as the next big thing in the hemp market, but not everyone is convinced of its efficacy.</p><h2>Risks and Benefits of Water Soluble CBD</h2><p>While plenty of brands tout the enhanced effects of water soluble CBD, it's unclear how exactly how these nanoparticles react within the body. Additionally, it's also unknown whether there is any advantages to using nano CBD (or water soluble CBD oil) when compared to traditional CBD oils.</p><p>With that being said, water soluble CBD is likely to have many of the same benefits as CBD oil, including anxiety reduction, pain relief, and improvements in sleep. Water soluble CBD may also prove to be more cost effective if its bioavailability is truly greater than traditional CBD tinctures, although more research is needed to validate this assumption.</p><h2>Is Water Soluble CBD Right for You?</h2><p>Water soluble CBD oils and powders are great options for people who prefer to get their daily dose of CBD without taking an oily dropper sublingually (below their tongue), or eat an infused CBD edible that tastes like earthy hemp. These water soluble products can easily be added into any food or beverage for a discreet and easy way to ingest CBD. Not to mention, they present little to no side effects, and are considered generally safe to consume.</p>
HOLISTIK Stress
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg2NzE3Mi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1OTg5OTkxM30.SsHX2Wj9Gg2cbit_rghGcy4jBQil-Zi-8ud4GU6KI7s/img.png?width=980" id="555ac" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8717dccb7529d642bc22c48215e93f49" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p>HOLISTIK is a member of the <a href="https://www.holistikwellness.com/blogs/news/making-a-positive-impact-together-with-impact-collective" target="_blank">IMPACT COLLECTIVE</a>, a group of forward-thinking brands committed to making an immediate and positive environmental impact. For every HOLISTIK STIK sold, the brand will pull one plastic bottle out of the ocean. We like supporting a brand that thinks about their place in the world. </p><p>We also like their CBD products. A standout is their stress relief STIK. They are blended with lemon balm extract to promote relaxation and focus. You mix them in your drink of choice, feel better, and do a tiny bit to help the sea. </p>
$39.99
Liweli Super Lemon 20-Pack
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg2NzIzOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMzY3MDcwN30.Zdryzz73N3ViVXJCMZPt9c-ZaIQatZtsOIb_T-_jt2g/img.jpg?width=980" id="5b343" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="552717389a75940908a2efc4b569d692" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p>Liweli water soluble CBD packets make getting a regular dose of CBD simple and convenient. You can keep these lemon-flavored pouches in your purse or backpack and add them to your drink of choice. They dissolve well, which is key for a product like this, and taste nice. Liweli is a best bet for anyone on-the-go. </p>
$49.99
CBDistillery CBDelicious Powder
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDg2NzIwOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNDY0Mzg1OH0.HYq74_mRfh-WzVZOazd3kghZcz2IwDYpOIbYOgIeR4k/img.jpg?width=980" id="69852" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2883e054f8e6af6467e48463d26d2b7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p>If you're not an "oil" person, there's always the option of a CBD powder. CBDistillery has several different options to choose from, including isolate, broad spectrum, and full spectrum water soluble CBD powders that can easily be added into foods or drinks to help you get a dose of CBD at anytime.</p>
$28
From Your Site Articles
- The Best Organic CBD Oils Available in 2020 - EcoWatch ›
- What Is CBD Water, and Should You Drink It? - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
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
Read More
Show Less
Trending
Trump Administration Plans Seismic Testing for Oil in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge This Winter
26 October
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>
From Your Site Articles
- Exposed: Chevron's Secretive Drilling Site in the Arctic National ... ›
- Trump Admin Pushes Final Drilling Plan for Arctic National Wildlife ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
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>
From Your Site Articles
- Judge Says Trump's Plan to Allow Drilling in Arctic Ocean Is ... ›
- Trump Moves to Open 1.5 Million Acres of Alaskan Refuge for Oil ... ›
- Investors Controlling $2.5 Trillion Stand With Indigenous People ... ›
- Will Oil Companies Drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? - EcoWatch ›
- Trump Administration Plans Seismic Testing for Oil in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge This Winter - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
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" 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" />
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" 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" />
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" 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" />
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" 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" />
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" 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" />
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" 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" />
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" 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" />
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>
Read More
Show Less
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>
Read More
Show Less
Trending
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>
<p></p>
<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>
From Your Site Articles
- Trump Administration Drills Down on Alaska's Arctic Refuge ... ›
- Arctic Refuge Oil Surveys Put Polar Bears in the Crosshairs ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trump Moves to Open 1.5 Million Acres of Alaskan Refuge for Oil Drilling By End of the Year
14 September 2019
Energy
An image of the trans-alaskan oil pipeline that carries oil from the northern part of Alaska all the way to valdez. This shot is right near the arctic national wildlife refuge. kyletperry / iStock / Getty Images Plus
The Trump administration has initialized the final steps to open up nearly 1.6 million acres of the protected Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge to allow oil and gas drilling.
<p>The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued its final <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/projects/nepa/102555/20003762/250004418/Volume_1_ExecSummary_Ch1-3_References_Glossary.pdf" target="_blank">Environmental Impact Statement</a> for the refuge and found that it was acceptable to lease 1.56 million acres on the Alaskan coastal plains. The lease sales will go forward by the end of the year, as <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/461161-trump-administration-to-open-alaskan-wildlife-refuge-to-drilling-by" target="_blank">The Hill</a> reported.</p>
<p>Now that the Environmental Impact Statement has been written, BLM is constrained by a mandatory 30-day waiting period before it can accept bids from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" rel="noopener noreferrer">fossil fuel</a> companies.</p><p>"After rigorous review, robust public comment, and a consideration of a range of alternatives, today's announcement is a big step to carry out the clear mandate we received from Congress to develop and implement a leasing program for the Coastal Plain, a program the people of Alaska have been seeking for over 40 years," said Interior Sec. David Bernhardt in a statement, as <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/461161-trump-administration-to-open-alaskan-wildlife-refuge-to-drilling-by" target="_blank">The Hill</a> reported.</p><p>The Democratic controlled house passed a bill Thursday to stop the mandate, but it has little chance of making it through the Senate.</p><p>"There are some places too wild, too important, too unique to be spoiled by oil-and-gas development," said Rep. Jared Huffman, the California Democrat who wrote the bill, as the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-drilling-in-alaskas-arctic-wildlife-refuge-to-have-negligible-impact-interior-department-says-11568319433" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a> reported. "The Arctic Refuge's Coastal Plain is one of those special places."</p>
<p>Environmentalists were quick to pounce on the Interior Department announcement since the refuge is home to polar bear dens and it is where caribou visit for calving. Drilling operations will almost certainly displace indigenous populations, which rely on the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife">wildlife</a> for their sustenance through hunting and fishing, according to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/12/trump-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-oil-gas-drilling" target="_blank">Guardian</a>.</p><p>"This sham 'review' unlawfully opens the entire coastal plain to leasing and fails to minimize damage to this unique environment," said Garett Rose, staff attorney for the Alaska Project at the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org" target="_blank">Natural Resources Defense Council</a> (NRDC), in a statement, according to <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/461161-trump-administration-to-open-alaskan-wildlife-refuge-to-drilling-by" target="_blank">The Hill</a>. "It violates what is sacred ground to, and a source of subsistence for, the Gwich'in people."</p><p>The Alaska Wilderness League's Executive Director Adam Kolton said to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/12/trump-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-oil-gas-drilling" target="_blank">Guardian</a> "to no one's surprise, the administration chose the most aggressive leasing alternative, not even pretending that this is about restraint or meaningful protection."</p><p>"With an eye on developing the entirety of the fragile coastal plain, the administration has been riding roughshod over science, silencing dissent and shutting out entire Indigenous communities," said Kolton.</p><p>The NRDC plans to challenge the <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/projects/nepa/102555/20003762/250004418/Volume_1_ExecSummary_Ch1-3_References_Glossary.pdf" target="_blank">Environmental Impact Statement</a> in court.</p><p>"We will indeed sue," the NRDC's Anne Hawke said, according to the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-drilling-in-alaskas-arctic-wildlife-refuge-to-have-negligible-impact-interior-department-says-11568319433" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a>.</p><p>The <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/projects/nepa/102555/20003762/250004418/Volume_1_ExecSummary_Ch1-3_References_Glossary.pdf" target="_blank">Environmental Impact Statement</a> does seem, at times, divorced from reality, as it suggests that global heating is cyclical rather than a byproduct of human activity, which is the scientific consensus.</p><p>"Much attention in recent decades has focused on the potential climate change effects of GHGs [greenhouse gasses], especially carbon dioxide (CO2), which has been increasing in concentration in the global atmosphere since the end of the last ice age," the document reads, as the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/12/trump-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-oil-gas-drilling" target="_blank">Guardian</a> reported.</p><p>The BLM estimated that the oil and gas leases in the Alaskan refuge would emit the greenhouse gas equivalent of one million new cars on the road. However, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reviewed a draft statement, it said that BLM drastically underestimated the environmental impact, as <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/federal-agencies-disagree-on-environmental-impacts-of-drilling-in-alaska/" target="_blank">Scientific American</a> reported.</p><p>"The majority of Americans want this sacred area protected," said Rose, as <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/461161-trump-administration-to-open-alaskan-wildlife-refuge-to-drilling-by" target="_blank">The Hill</a> reported. "And within hours of Congress taking action, the Trump administration is moving with haste to destroy it."</p>
From Your Site Articles
- Disastrous Wildfires Sweeping Through Alaska Could Permanently ... ›
- Trump Admin Pushes Final Drilling Plan for Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
Caribou grazing on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. USFWS
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a bill on Monday would block oil and gas drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) aim to repeal a little-known Arctic drilling provision that was quietly snuck into the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
<p>
The new bill—called the "Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act"—states that "oil and gas activities are not compatible with the protection of this national treasure." <span></span>
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="27310" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="88M7EQ1576662558"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1095038994277117952" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Thank you @RepHuffman @RepLowenthal @RepBrianFitz for introducing the "Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection… https://t.co/o8mZBX0bDa</div> — Alaska Wilderness League Action (@Alaska Wilderness League Action)<a href="https://twitter.com/AlaskaWildAct/statuses/1095038994277117952">1549912615.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
Inclusion of the drilling measure in the 2017 tax bill helped Republicans secure the vote of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/arctic-drilling-alaska-murkowski-2508047461.html" target="_self">Sen. Lisa Murkowski</a> of Alaska, who has long sought to open part of ANWR for oil and gas development.
</p><p>
Even though <a href="http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/americans-oppose-drilling-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge/?utm_source=Yale+Program+on+Climate+Change+Communication&utm_campaign=2418476467-20171204_anwr&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_de6cdfce82-2418476467-326520565" target="_blank">the majority of voters</a> across the political spectrum oppose ANWR exploitation and the area was kept off-limits <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/obama-seeks-wilderness-designation-for-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-1882002415.html" target="_self">thanks to Obama-era policies</a>, the tax law, which passed with only GOP support, allowed drilling for the first time the refuge's coastal plain.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="702f4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="I2PA9R1576662558"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1095022133300862980" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">.@RepHuffman announces introduction of the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act, bipartisan legislation… https://t.co/dUBsxypXDy</div> — Sierra Club Live (@Sierra Club Live)<a href="https://twitter.com/SierraClubLive/statuses/1095022133300862980">1549908595.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
The 1.5-million-acre coastal plain, also known as the 1002 Area, is believed to hold a vast and untapped trove of oil. Debate over opening the area for fossil fuel exploration has been at the center of political debate for decades.
</p><p>
Environmentalists worry that drilling would harm native wildlife. An <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2017/12/11/443964/measuring-loss-american-wildlife-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-drilled/" target="_blank">analysis</a> from the <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/" target="_blank">Center for American Progress</a> and <a href="http://www.csp-inc.org/" target="_blank">Conservation Science Partners</a> describes the coastal plain as the "biological heart" of the Arctic refuge that hosts one-third of all polar bear denning habitat in the U.S. and one-third of the migratory birds that come to the Arctic Refuge.
</p><p>
Fossil fuel development would also further stress a region that's already impacted by <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/arctic-refuge-drilling-2517635533.html" target="_self">climate change</a>.
</p><p>
<span></span>"The Arctic is being impacted by climate change at unprecedented levels," the bill states. "Temperatures are rising at twice the rate of the rest of the country, and wildlife and habitat that depend on the Arctic are being detrimentally impacted."
</p><p>
The area is also considered sacred to the indigenous Gwich'in people, who sustain themselves from the caribou that migrate there.
</p><p>
Repealing the drilling provision in the tax law "would best protect the unspoiled ecosystem of the Coastal Plain, the human rights of the Gwich'in, and the integrity of the National Wildlife Refuge System," the bill states.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTE4NDk5OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMTU3NDIzNH0.yp8QKgzcERceRE1yM8aRtUruOoU8K1ZeGo23pmCHPpM/img.jpg?width=980" id="9d02c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7fd118f028a5937605b039a0bb9c8d04" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Northern Alaska National Wildlife Range (ANWR), Coastal Plain 1002 Area</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit..."><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/eiagov/" target="_blank" title="Go to U.S. Energy Information Administration's photostream">USEIA</a></small>
</p><p>
Last year, the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/trump" target="_self">Trump</a> administration <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/arctic-oil-drilling-trump-2615086605.html" target="_self">approved the first</a> offshore oil drilling development in federal Arctic waters even though rising global temperatures have <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/arctic-climate-change-2539897203.html">dramatically reduced</a> the extent of sea ice.
</p><p>
Case in point, <a href="http://www.hilcorp.com/" target="_blank">Hilcorp Alaska</a>'s <a href="http://libertyenergyproject.com/faq/" target="_blank">Liberty Energy Project</a>—which involves building a 9-acre artificial drilling island in the shallow waters of the Beaufort Sea—was delayed because <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/oil-arctic-offshore-drilling-2619918075.html?share_id=4170830" target="_blank">there was not enough sea ice</a> to build a foundation for the artificial island.
</p><p>
The <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/home" target="_blank">Sierra Club</a> praised the new bill and noted that even major financial institutions, including Barclays, National Australia Bank, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hsbc-strategy-fossil-fuels/hsbc-to-stop-financing-most-new-coal-plants-oil-sands-arctic-drilling-idUSKBN1HR1NR" target="_blank">HSBC</a>, <a href="https://www.upi.com/BNP-Paribas-says-it-will-no-longer-back-oil/4921507715402/" target="_blank">BNP Paribas,</a> <a href="https://www.scotsman.com/news/rbs-bans-funding-of-arctic-oil-and-coal-projects-1-4746517" target="_blank">Royal Bank of Scotland</a> and <a href="https://www.societegenerale.com/en/measuring-our-performance/csr/environment" target="_blank">Societe General</a> are rejecting financing for drilling or exploration in the Arctic refuge.
</p><p>
"Drilling in the Arctic Refuge would threaten the food security and human rights of the Gwich'in people and permanently destroy one of the world's last wild places, all to dig up more oil that would worsen the climate crisis," Sierra Club lands protection program director Athan Manuel said in a <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2019/02/legislation-would-block-destructive-arctic-refuge-drilling" target="_blank">press release</a>. "That's why the overwhelming majority of Americans oppose drilling there, as do a growing number of investors and financial institutions."
</p><p>
Manuel added, "Now Congress has a chance to undo the dangerous and short-sighted decision to sell off this special place to corporate polluters. We applaud Representative Huffman and the bill's co-sponsors for their leadership in protecting America's Refuge."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="15b88" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="QBT5Z31576662559"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1088164551835684864" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#Arctic Refuge Oil Surveys Put #PolarBears in the Crosshairs https://t.co/mhJ6QlwAo0 @CenterForBioDiv @SavetheArctic</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1088164551835684864">1548273620.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
From Your Site Articles
Read More
Show Less
Steve Hillebrand / USFWS
By Tim Lydon
The Trump administration is barreling ahead with plans to drill for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the largest refuge in the country and an area of global ecological importance.
<p>Many refer to the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge—the very place where oil drilling is being planned—as the "American Serengeti." A home for grizzly bears, wolves, musk oxen and a host of other species, the area is famous as the birthing ground for the enormous <a href="https://www.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=1db433027dd94a928c39b9ab0f2d1b47" target="_blank">Porcupine caribou herd</a>, which each spring floods across the refuge's coastal plain in the tens of thousands, arriving in time to raise newborn calves amid fresh tundra grasses. The coastal plain is also the annual destination for millions of migrating <a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic/birds.html" target="_blank">birds</a>, who come from nearly every continent on Earth to raise the next generation of swans, terns and more than 200 other species. In late summer these avian visitors disperse to backyards, beaches and wetlands across the planet.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTE0NTM3Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MDQ1NzM3Nn0.o4IJd6mt9kGhHMv2O7Rztb2sMQ0TDinING1oTh1jqW8/img.jpg?width=980" id="38316" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="46b45fedcda97d0b5a0a7344cfb3d2ff" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Steve Hillebrand / USFWS</small></p><p>Drilling on the Arctic Refuge has long been <a href="http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/americans-oppose-drilling-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge/" target="_blank">opposed</a> by most Americans. Among the staunchest opponents of drilling are indigenous people in northern Alaska and the Canadian Arctic, whose cultures and diets are entwined with the Porcupine herd. They include the Gwich'in people of northern Alaska, who have lived in the Arctic for millennia and reside alongside the Arctic Refuge. Their name for the coastal plain is <a href="http://ourarcticrefuge.org/about-the-refuge/the-coastal-plain-the-sacred-place-where-life-begins/" target="_blank"><em>Iizhik Gwats'an Gwandaii Goodlit</em>,</a> or "the Sacred Place Where Life Begins," a name reflecting the shared destiny of the caribou and the people. For the Gwich'in and others, fighting against drilling is a cultural imperative and a civil-rights issue.<br></p><p>The refuge has another cultural relevance: It's a unique part of American conservation history. President Dwight Eisenhower's 1960 protection of the area followed decades of research and advocacy by some of the tallest figures in American conservation, including <a href="https://www.wilderness.net/nwps/murie" target="_blank">Mardy and Olaus Murie</a>, <a href="https://www.wilderness.net/nwps/Marshall" target="_blank">Bob Marshall</a> and Supreme Court Justice <a href="https://www.wilderness.net/nwps/douglas" target="_blank">William O. Douglas</a>, among many others. These proponents held that the northeastern corner of Alaska should remain as one of America's <a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic/legacy.html" target="_blank">last truly wild places</a>, to benefit future generations and the land itself. Informed by the predator-prey research of Olaus Murie and disappointed by a trend toward development in the national parks, advocates pressed for a version of preservation that excluded roads, facilities and interference with predators or other natural ecological forces. They wanted to preserve wilderness.</p><p>When Eisenhower's <a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic/plo2214.html" target="_blank">order</a> protected the area's "unique wildlife, wilderness and recreational values," it marked the first time federal law specifically protected a thing called wilderness. As Roger Kaye describes in his book <em>The Last Great Wilderness</em>, the move was a precursor to the 1964 Wilderness Act, which the Muries also helped shape and which remains among our bedrock conservation laws. Later, in 1980, Congress <a href="https://www.nps.gov/locations/alaska/anilca.htm" target="_blank">affirmed</a> the national significance of the Arctic Refuge by nearly doubling its size.</p><p>But to the current administration and its loyal allies in Congress, the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge is destined to be an industrial oilfield. Caribou, birds, native people and history be damned—to say nothing of the climate, which needs another industrial oilfield about as much as Donald Trump needs another criminal investigation into his presidency.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTE0NTM3My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwOTcyNjY4N30.K2BpQx6X0Rn3m01YzcM6R2UxVdeNYwANV4TQR8Qowj4/img.jpg?width=980" id="d1617" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4e6fef7552e1cb17628ccd5ccc76f263" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit..."> USFWS</small></p><p>We arrived at this pivotal moment after Republicans, following decades of failed attempts, used the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1/text" target="_blank">2017 tax law</a> to pry open Arctic Refuge protections. Led by Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, they tacked a provision onto the law's last page, in Section 20001, mandating drilling on the area's coastal plain. The law even amended the refuge's <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsbdev2_037581.pdf" target="_blank">enabling legislation</a> to include oil drilling as a purpose of the refuge. Absurdly, drilling for oil now stands alongside other refuge purposes such as maintaining environmental health, conserving wildlife and protecting the wilderness values Eisenhower singled out back in 1960.<br></p><p>The law also prescribed a strict timetable for drilling. It orders the government to offer a minimum of two massive lease sales in the next 10 years, with the first to be completed by 2021. Each must encompass at least 400,000 acres of the coastal plain and include rights-of-way for a tangle of pipelines, roads, airstrips and other infrastructure, all certain to harm the natural values of the refuge.</p><p>Designing those lease sales is the focus of the government's work today. The process began with an initial public comment period last spring, which garnered nearly <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2018/06/hundreds-thousands-public-comments-urge-zinke-protect-arctic-refuge" target="_blank">700,000</a> responses that overwhelmingly opposed drilling. We are now in the <a href="https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/plans-in-development/alaska/coastal-plain-eis" target="_blank">second comment period</a>, which quietly opened during the holidays and was originally scheduled to close on Feb. 11—a period mostly characterized by President Trump's 35-day <a href="https://therevelator.org/shutdown-oil-gas/" target="_blank">government shutdown</a>. The purpose of the comment period is to gather input on an array of generally weak environmental restrictions proposed to govern the lease sales the administration hopes to offer this year. It's all part of a fast-tracked attempt to transfer large swaths of the coastal plain into oil-industry hands before the 2020 election.</p><p>Comments have now been extended through March 13, but the shutdown also resulted in the Interior Department postponing a series of public meetings, which would have enabled people to learn more about the sales. Those meetings are now <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/planAndProjectSite.do?methodName=dispatchToPatternPage&currentPageId=152113" target="_blank">scheduled to take place</a> this week.</p><p>Still, comments were accepted throughout the shutdown. Based on published media reports we know they already include recent <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/canada-first-nations-concern-us-arctic-drilling-1.4976686" target="_blank">objections</a> from the Canadian government, the governments of the Yukon and Northwest Territories, and several Canadian First Nations groups, who all agree drilling on the coastal plain <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/corporate/international-affairs/partnerships-countries-regions/north-america/canada-united-states-porcupine-caribou-conservation.html" target="_blank">violates international agreements</a> to protect the Porcupine caribou.</p><p>Meanwhile the government is expected to invite more public comment soon, this time on the impacts of seismic testing on the refuge. This destructive process, which will unleash convoys of giant :<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/03/climate/alaska-anwr-seismic-testing-tracks.html" target="_blank">thumper trucks</a>" onto the coastal plain, was previously conducted in 1985 under the Reagan administration. Monitoring a quarter-century later showed that more than <a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic/seismic.html" target="_blank">120 miles of ruts still scar the fragile tundra</a>, their hard angles and straight lines intercepting the ponds and meandering streams of the natural landscape. Although testing was scheduled to begin next month, it has been slowed by evidence it may <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2018/12/anwr-polar-bears-trump/" target="_blank">harm or kill</a> denning polar bear mothers and cubs. Ironically, unseasonable warmth and President Trump's chaotic government shutdown also <a href="https://www.adn.com/business-economy/energy/2018/12/28/shutdown-delays-oil-exploration-plans-in-the-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge/" target="_blank">slowed</a> the process.</p><p>The <a href="http://ourarcticrefuge.org/" target="_blank">Gwich'in Steering Committee</a>, which includes Alaska Native people who grew up alongside the refuge and have been nourished by its caribou and other resources, are not laying all of their hopes on the comment period. On January 14 their representatives joined other indigenous people in Houston, Texas, to hand-deliver 100,000 letters pressuring SAExploration to withdraw its bid to perform the testing. The <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2019/01/houston-area-indigenous-leaders-stand-gwich-nation-deliver-100000-letters" target="_blank">Sierra Club</a> reports at least 200,000 emails, calls and letters have been sent to the company, the sole outfit to bid on the project.</p><p>The direct appeal to SAExploration reveals how resistance to drilling continues outside of formal comment periods—and it shows signs of success. Last month international bankers at Barclays responded to public pressure by <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/425252-barclays-to-reject-most-financing-for-drilling-in-arctic" target="_blank">announcing</a> they are unlikely to finance drilling in the Refuge because it is a "particularly fragile and pristine ecosystem."</p><p>Here's the final insult about drilling in the refuge: It's not necessary, either economically or for the energy it would produce. Fracking technology and decades of generous public lands giveaways to the oil industry have already given the United States undeniable global energy dominance. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge is an unnecessary excess, especially when we consider that the oil from far-off northern Alaska would most likely be sold for corporate profit to foreign markets, not to support America's energy needs. All it would serve is to line a few companies' pockets.</p><p>As the accelerated and sometimes confusing work to drill in the refuge moves forward, the time to stop this from happening—and prevent permanent harm to this extraordinary landscape—grows increasingly short. It's also a reminder of the threat the current government and extractive industries pose to our vital public lands. This is an important fight for wildlife, for wilderness, for the rights of indigenous peoples and for the climate. The Arctic Refuge may be remotely located and out of sight for most Americans, but it should not be out of mind.</p><p><em>The opinions expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of </em>The Revelator<em>, the Center for Biological Diversity or their employees.</em></p><p><em> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://therevelator.org/trump-drilling-alaska-arctic-refuge/" target="_blank">The Revelator</a>.</em><em></em></em></p>
From Your Site Articles
Read More
Show Less
Alaska Wilderness League
By Rebekah Ashley
Even though our day-to-day existence may be far removed from Arctic Alaska, we must stand for the protection of the Arctic Refuge and ask our representatives to do the same.
Most Americans oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In fact, a majority of us "strongly oppose it." This broad public concern echoed through the halls of Congress during Alaska Wilderness League's Wilderness Week, when more than 25 people from around the country (as far as Alaska and as young as six months) convened in Washington, DC, in late May to advocate for the protection of the Arctic Refuge. Collectively, our group met with more than 60 offices in just three days.
<p>The experience reaffirmed our role in the lower 48, where even though our day-to-day existence is far removed from Arctic Alaska, we must stand for the protection of the Arctic Refuge and ask our representatives to do the same.</p><p>"An assault on one community is an assault on all of us," said Adrienne Titus, an Inupiat and a community organizer at Native Movement. "An assault on one tribe is an assault on all of them."</p><p><strong>Grassroots Support</strong></p><p>Wilderness Week participants were given an overview of the past year in activism—that is, the grassroots support that has ramped up across the country since the Arctic Refuge was opened for drilling including rallies, district office meetings, community events, letters to the editor and the collection of hundreds of thousands of public comments on the issue.</p><p>We also learned about <a href="https://huffman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-huffman-introduces-bill-to-repeal-gop-tax-scam-s-arctic-wildlife" target="_blank">recently introduced legislation</a> to undo the GOP mandate to lease the Arctic Refuge for drilling. This bill is a reminder that there are people in Congress who have and will continue to listen to public concerns for indigenous rights and environmental protection. It is crucial that our congressional representatives <a href="https://act.alaskawild.org/sign/2017Refuge_cos/" target="_blank">hear from us</a> if they have not already signed onto this important bill.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODE5NzA5Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNTkzMjAxOH0.gE-AB1dW7DM5vsMKlijClueOGxsvhE6LGsfm137D4SE/img.jpg?width=980" id="f04e9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1b2cd5032f7589e36c4ae08401578e3d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Rebekah Ashley (right) with her sister Elisabeth (center-right), Noa Banayan (Alaska Wilderness League, center-left) and Adrienne Titus (Native Movement, center-front)</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Alaska Wilderness League</small></p><p><strong>Meeting Our Reps</strong><br></p><p>To make sure that offices in both the House and Senate were hearing from constituents in the states they represent, Wilderness Week participants were divided up by geographic region. I was lucky to stand alongside my sister Elisabeth to represent New York, and we were joined by others from across the northeast. Lis and I built off our shared experiences in meetings with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's office and our representative Elise Stefanik (who we were able to flag in the hall and speak to directly). We also met with neighboring districts in upstate New York including offices for Reps. Claudia Tenney and Tom Reed, and other nearby states including Maine, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland.</p><p>"I cannot comprehend why something that would be looked at as inexcusable in one community could be put on another," Lis said as we wrapped up our meetings. And it's true, states in the lower 48 have opposed <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/offshore-oil-drilling">offshore drilling</a> because of the irreversible effects drilling poses on communities, ecosystems and the already <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">changing climate</a>.</p><p><strong>Public Forums and the Canadian Embassy</strong></p><p>During our second day of meetings, Wilderness Week participants attended a forum by the Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee, led by Representatives Raúl Grijalva (D-NM) and Jared Huffman (D-CA) focusing on <a href="https://democrats-naturalresources.house.gov/media/media-advisories/grijalva-to-hold-a-forum-on-the-dangers-of-opening-alaskas-arctic-refuge-to-oil-and-gas-drilling" target="_blank">the dangers of opening Alaska's Arctic Refuge to oil and gas drilling</a>. Later on, we attended an event hosted by the Canadian Embassy highlighting Canada's ongoing support for the Arctic Refuge and protecting its coastal plain. Gwich'in villages stand throughout Alaska and Canada, and at the embassy Gwich'in representative Donetta Tritt spoke to the importance of the Porcupine Caribou Herd to the survival of the Gwich'in people, and Canadian leaders reaffirmed their commitment to stand in solidarity with the Gwich'in to protect the herd.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODE5NzA5OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMjk4NjEwOH0.x3CU4dT5nC9Fcpz1kUTqsF62RU5oV2XaCC9P917z6o4/img.jpg?width=980" id="92be2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="19b8fa148745957a5990d2656f26d38b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Representatives Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Raúl Grijalva (D-NM) and Niki Tsongas (D-MA) discuss the Arctic Refuge across from Donetta Tritt, Rebecca Goodstein, David Hayes and Jamie Rappaport Clark.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Alaska Wilderness League</small></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODE5NzExMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyODIyODEyMX0.nfXdPndybl5yh0bjK_njJDH5uXqnw8NvdHAuDlcenRU/img.jpg?width=980" id="18713" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6ac55b72cc39e5b8a8abfc4bb6d8afe7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">At the Canadian Embassy, Donetta Tritt of the Gwich'in explains the relationship the Gwich'in people have with the Arctic Refuge and the porcupine caribou.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Alaska Wilderness League</small></p><p><strong>Wrapping Up</strong><br></p><p>Whether you're calling your members of Congress or speaking to them in their congressional offices, these steps can seem small compared to the challenges we're up against. That's why Wilderness Week was an amazing chance to connect with people from the broader community who are also committed to protecting the Arctic Refuge. It was also an opportunity to learn about the issue from those who have experienced it firsthand. While we still have a long way to go, people like those I met at Wilderness Week make the journey worthwhile.</p><p><strong>The BLM Public Hearing</strong></p><p>Several weeks later, I traveled back to DC with folks from my local community, including more of my family, to attend the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) only public hearing on Arctic Refuge leasing not being held in Alaska. This event allowed the broader public to share testimony and express their concerns about the leasing process for the Arctic Refuge directly to a panel representing BLM.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODE5NzExNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MDU4MTIyMn0.xWNl_BGT-asBAl9LDGHY68CtwmhecTPYMzWsNRv-k8k/img.jpg?width=980" id="2f059" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="77b93714fa0cb9b64b9c2dbaaf475c0b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Bernadette Demientieff, executive director of the Gwich'in Steering Committee, makes the case for protecting the coastal plain.<a href="http://www.alaskawild.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Bekah-WW-hearing-recap-blog-6.jpg" target="_blank"></a></small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Alaska Wilderness League</small></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODE5NzExOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0OTYzMTM2OH0.v7WxkqGqexwPwN18zvxcQkS2NQmZU-9-q4hbUGwCGHc/img.jpg?width=980" id="875b1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6b4fa92ab04224f32bdd98620290c45c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">A packed house was on hand in DC, the only public hearing on Arctic Refuge leasing being held outside of Alaska. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Alaska Wilderness League</small></p><p>Outside of the hearing, a rally took place where hundreds of people lined the streets in opposition to BLM. Many of those who weren't fortunate enough to secure a spot testifying at the hearing shared their story at the rally instead. Wendy Hall from the <a href="http://adirondackwildlife.org/" target="_blank">Adirondack Wildlife Refuge</a> shared her opposition for oil development in the Arctic Refuge because of the impacts it will have on global ecosystems and contribution to climate change.<br></p><p>My mother, Sandra Ashley, a teacher's aide at Lake Placid Middle School, gave testimony about the destructive message that drilling in the Arctic Refuge will send to her students and shared essays on their behalf that underscored the concerns that children feel for protecting <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife">wildlife</a>.</p><p>Another friend of ours, Craig Stevens, a sixth generation land owner from Montrose, PA, held up a bottle of contaminated water from a sink in Pennsylvania during his testimony to remind the BLM how extractive industries can have an impact on our communities.</p><p>And Garett Reppenhagen of <a href="http://www.vetvoicefoundation.org/" target="_blank">Vet Voice Foundation</a>, a veteran of deployments in Kosovo and Iraq, shared his story about using outdoor therapy to help in the recovery process for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODE5NzEzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNDkwNDEzMH0.TmU1hBOgxUFEH--L6jOS5CFEVBpaC4YUG68TkTCLGCk/img.jpg?width=980" id="fca75" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="544ac8456c092173467024fe6663644e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Garett Reppenhagen of Vet Voice Foundation describes his experiences in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Alaska Wilderness League</small></p><p>By the time the hearing came to a close it was after dark. BLM had heard countless concerns for protecting wildlife and fragile ecosystems, mitigating climate change impacts, standing up for indigenous cultures, and more. It was a reminder that Americans overwhelmingly oppose oil development in the Arctic Refuge, and instead believe this area must be protected once and for all.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="780a0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="N58EFJ1576661782"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="996510559574155264" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Investors Controlling $2.5 Trillion Stand With Indigenous People Against Trump Plan to Drill 'Sacred' Arctic Refuge… https://t.co/ggRjhskZaM</div> — Sierra Club (@Sierra Club)<a href="https://twitter.com/SierraClub/statuses/996510559574155264">1526421606.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less