Difference between revisions of "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge"

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*Protection History – Established as the Arctic Wildlife Range in 1960 under President Eisenhower to protect an entire ecosystem with bipartisan support; expanded in 1980 under President Carter in the Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act (ANILCA) to create the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
 
*Protection History – Established as the Arctic Wildlife Range in 1960 under President Eisenhower to protect an entire ecosystem with bipartisan support; expanded in 1980 under President Carter in the Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act (ANILCA) to create the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
 
*Most Recent Protection – 2015 under President Obama, USFWS Wilderness recommendation for the coastal plain transmitted to Congress of 12.28 million acres
 
*Most Recent Protection – 2015 under President Obama, USFWS Wilderness recommendation for the coastal plain transmitted to Congress of 12.28 million acres
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Tax Reform Effects – In December 2017 - as a component of Tax Reform – Congress passed legislation that included Arctic Refuge oil and gas leasing provisions.
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*Tax Reform Effects – In December 2017 - as a component of Tax Reform – Congress passed legislation that included Arctic Refuge oil and gas leasing provisions.
 
*Oil and Gas Development Threats - The Trump administration is aiming for 3D seismic surveys as soon as winter 2018/2019 and the first lease sale by summer 2019
 
*Oil and Gas Development Threats - The Trump administration is aiming for 3D seismic surveys as soon as winter 2018/2019 and the first lease sale by summer 2019
 
*Climate Change Impacts - Melting permafrost, altered caribou migration routes, increased forest fires, shrinking lakes
 
*Climate Change Impacts - Melting permafrost, altered caribou migration routes, increased forest fires, shrinking lakes

Revision as of 09:48, 27 September 2018

Arctic refuge rainbow shrunk.jpg
KEY FACTS
  • Size: 19.6 million acres; roughly the size of South Carolina
  • The Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain - 1.5 million acres in size – is it’s ‘biological heart’
  • Protection History – Established as the Arctic Wildlife Range in 1960 under President Eisenhower to protect an entire ecosystem with bipartisan support; expanded in 1980 under President Carter in the Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act (ANILCA) to create the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
  • Most Recent Protection – 2015 under President Obama, USFWS Wilderness recommendation for the coastal plain transmitted to Congress of 12.28 million acres
  • Tax Reform Effects – In December 2017 - as a component of Tax Reform – Congress passed legislation that included Arctic Refuge oil and gas leasing provisions.
  • Oil and Gas Development Threats - The Trump administration is aiming for 3D seismic surveys as soon as winter 2018/2019 and the first lease sale by summer 2019
  • Climate Change Impacts - Melting permafrost, altered caribou migration routes, increased forest fires, shrinking lakes
  • Wildlife – Polar bears, 200 species of migratory birds, arctic foxes, black & brown bears, Dall sheep, moose, musk oxen, caribou

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is America’s largest Wildlife Refuge, comprising 19.6 million acres of one of the wildest corners left in North America. Its biological heart – the 1.5 million acre coastal plain – is home to countless species of birds, and numerous iconic land mammals, like musk ox and polar bears. The place holds special meaning to the Gwich’in people, who today rely on caribou for their sustenance, as they have for thousands of years. For many adventurers, a visit to the Arctic Refuge is the wilderness experience of a lifetime.

It’s no wonder that the area earned protections in 1960 - shortly after Alaska became a state – that remained in place until December of last year.

Today – for the first time in decades – the Coastal Plain faces potential oil and gas leasing, which would forever change this landscape. As the Tax Reform debate came to a close in Washington DC last fall, Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski snuck two pages of drilling text into the final bill, undermining decades of thoughtful management and protections. Today – in an unprecedented mad dash - the Trump administration is moving to hold oil and gas lease sales by next summer, while also allowing dangerous seismic surveys this winter, all before the true impacts of Arctic Refuge drilling can be understood. Please see below for relevant legislation, talking points, fact sheets, and more on what we're doing to defend the Arctic Refuge.

Fact Sheets | Congressional Letters | Public Letters | Maps | Research & Reports

Recent Legislative Activity

  • H.R. 1, Tax Cuts & Jobs Act
    • The overhaul of the American tax code came with a provision that mandated leasing in the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge.

Talking Points

  • The Trump administration is cutting corners to expedite oil and gas development. Interior’s rushed process to lease the coastal plain in favor of a measured, science-driven effort that provides for robust public input is a disservice to the American people, including the Alaska Natives who will be significantly and negatively impacted by development. A planning process conducted in accordance with federal law will make clear that drilling on the coastal plain will cause irreparable harm to the wildlife, wilderness, recreational opportunities, and subsistence resources the Arctic Refuge was established to protect.
  • The Alaska delegation is concerned that they’ve gone too far, opening the Refuge to oil and gas development. With 2/3rds of Americans opposed to Arctic Refuge leasing, this concern makes sense. The reason that Interior is rushing is clear, as Senator Murkowski (R-AK) has been explicit in saying that their intention is to get the leases finalized so that a new administration cannot come in and undo the process. On working with DOI, from E&E: "There is a strong commitment to work with us to get these leases out before the end of this term," Murkowski explained at an Anchorage business meeting. "Because once you get those leases out into the hands of those who can then move forward, it's tougher" for environmentalists to file court challenges against leasing in the Arctic refuge. (Senator Murkowski, 3/12/18)
  • Even Seismic Exploration can change the landscape for decades. The scars of the 2-D seismic testing completed on the coastal plain in 1984 and 1985 are still visible 30 years later. Modern seismic exploration is done using a 3-D technique that involves a much denser grid of trails – the 1984-85 trails on the coastal plain were approximately four miles apart, while the 3-D seismic trails envisioned here would be a mere 660 feet apart.
  • Indigenous voices in particular are being ignored. This is yet another example of Zinke and Trump disregarding indigenous rights and public wishes in the rush to sell out our public lands to oil interests. The Trump administration is reviews across the board. Using a hurried, predetermined plan to complete the EIS within one year and limit it to 150 pages is incompatible

Fact Sheets

Congressional Letters

Public Letters

Maps

Research & Reports

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