What a controversial oil and gas leasing plan means for Alaskans
| Anchorage, Alaska
The Trump administration gave final approval Monday for a contentious oil and gas leasing plan on the coastal plain of Alaska鈥檚 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where critics worry about the industry鈥檚 impact on polar bears, caribou, and other wildlife.
The next step, barring lawsuits, will be the actual sale of leases. Development 鈥� should it occur 鈥� is still years away.
Environmentalists have promised to fight opening up the coastal plain, a 1.56-million acre swath of land along Alaska鈥檚 northern Beaufort Sea coast after the Department of the Interior approved an oil and gas leasing program.
Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt signed the Record of Decision, which will determine a program for where oil and gas leasing will take place.
鈥淭he establishment of this program marks a new chapter in American energy independence,鈥� Mr. Bernhardt said during a conference call with reporters.
鈥淵ears of inaction have given away to an informed and determined plan to responsibly tap ANWR鈥檚 energy potential for the American people for generations to come,鈥� he said.
Over the past four decades, Republicans have attempted to open the refuge to drilling. President Bill Clinton vetoed a Republican bill to allow drilling in 1995, and Democrats blocked a similar plan 10 years later. President Trump insisted Congress include a mandate providing for leasing in the refuge in a 2017 tax bill.
The Interior鈥檚 Bureau of Land Management in December 2018 concluded drilling could be conducted within the coastal plain area without harming wildlife.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 announcement marks a milestone in Alaska's forty-year journey to responsibly develop our state and our nation鈥檚 new energy frontier,鈥� Gov. Mike Dunleavy said in a statement.
The Republican governor called the decision 鈥渁 definitive step in the right direction to developing this area鈥檚 energy potential,鈥� which he estimated at 4.3 and 11.8 billion barrels of recoverable oil reserves.
Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the opportunity offered by opening the coastal plain 鈥渋s needed both now, as Alaskans navigate incredibly challenging times, and well into the future as we seek a lasting economic foundation for our state.
鈥淭hrough this program, we will build on our already-strong record of an increasingly minimal footprint for responsible resource development.鈥�
Mr. Trump in 2018 said he hadn鈥檛 felt strongly about opening the refuge, but had insisted it be included in the tax bill at the urging of others. He also said a friend told him that every Republican president since Ronald Reagan had tried and failed to open the refuge to drilling.
鈥淚 really didn鈥檛 care about it, and then when I heard that everybody wanted it 鈥� for 40 years, they鈥檝e been trying to get it approved, and I said, 鈥楳ake sure you don鈥檛 lose ANWR,鈥欌�� Mr. Trump said at the time.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has vowed to protect the refuge.
鈥淗is plan released last year made clear that he will permanently protect ANWR and other areas impacted by President Trump鈥檚 attacks on federal lands and waters,鈥� campaign spokesperson Matt Hill said.
Environmental groups immediately assailed opening the refuge and promised litigation.
鈥淭he Trump administration鈥檚 so-called review process for their shameless sell-off of the Arctic refuge has been a sham from the start. We鈥檒l see them in court,鈥� said Lena Moffitt with the Our Wild America campaign of the Sierra Club.
鈥淭his administration has done nothing but disrespect the Indigenous peoples that have occupied these lands,鈥� Gwich鈥檌n Steering Committee Executive Director Bernadette Demientieff said.
The coastal plain is calving grounds for the Porcupine Caribou Herd, which includes about 200,000 animals, 鈥淥ur ways of life, our food security, and our identity is not up for negotiation. The fight is not over,鈥� she said.
Matt Lee-Ashley, a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress, said the Interior decision won鈥檛 stand.
鈥淭he environmental analysis underpinning this decision is so laughably indefensible that either the courts or a future presidential administration will have no trouble tossing it in the dustbin of history,鈥� Mr. Lee-Ashely said.
Frank Macchiarola, a senior vice president at the American Petroleum Institute, said the rigorous environmental review process confirms the industry鈥檚 ability to develop responsibly.
鈥淭he industry has a well-established record of safe and environmentally responsible development of Alaska鈥檚 energy resources and has been recognized for its success in being respectful of Alaska鈥檚 wildlife and surrounding communities,鈥� he said. 鈥淎dvancements in technology and commitments to environmental stewardship 鈥� including for over 50 years in Alaska鈥檚 Arctic 鈥� have enabled America鈥檚 oil and natural gas industry to safely meet decades of demand for affordable, reliable, and cleaner energy.鈥�
Mr. Bernhardt said the program should stand up to legal challenges or the whims of future presidential administrations.
鈥淐ongress has mandated these lease sales, and so they have to go forward in some regard. They can鈥檛 just simply unduly delay, so that is a reality that Congress created,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd really, absent a change in the law, the question of whether or not there will be a program in ANWR has really been answered.鈥�
The decision makes the entire coastal plain 鈥� 8% of the 19.3-million-acre refuge 鈥� available for oil and gas leasing and potential development. The Department of the Interior said the plan includes protections for habitat and wildlife, including operational time limits on 585,400 acres.
Mr. Bernhardt said there will be at least two area-wide leasing sales of at least 400,000 acres each. The first will be held before Dec. 22, 2021, and the second by Dec. 22, 2024.
This story was reported by The Associated Press
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