Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

KEY FACTS

Size: 19.6 million acres, roughly the size of South Carolina. The 1.6 million acre coastal plain is considered its ‘biological heart’. Protection History: Established by President Eisenhower in 1960 with bipartisan support as the Arctic Wildlife Range, with the purpose of protecting an entire ecosystem. It was expanded in 1980 under President Carter through the Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act (ANILCA) to create the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Most Recent Protection: In 2019, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1146 which would repeal the mandate in the 2017 Tax Act to lease the coastal plain for oil and gas development. On day one, President Biden announced a temporary moratorium on all leasing activities in the Arctic Refuge. Tax Reform Fallout: In December 2017, as a component of its tax reform bill, Congress opened the Arctic Refuge to oil and gas leasing and development by mandating two lease sales. Oil and Gas Development Threats: In January 2021, the Trump administration held the first ever Arctic Refuge lease sale. 3D seismic exploration on the coastal plain remains an imminent threat as well. A Failed Lease Sale: The January 2021 lease sale failed to raise even 1% of promised revenues and received little industry interest. Only 9 of 32 available tracts were awarded, with two companies each receiving 1 tract, and the rest being awarded to the state of Alaska. Climate Change: Rising Arctic temperatures are leading to melting permafrost, receding sea ice, coastal erosion, changes in vegetation growth patterns, altered caribou migration routes, increased forest fires, shrinking lakes, and more. Wildlife: The Arctic Refuge is home to polar bears, 200 species of migratory birds, arctic foxes, black & brown bears, Dall sheep, moose, musk oxen, caribou, wolves, wolverines, and more. Significance to Alaska Natives: The Gwich’in people call the coastal plain “The Sacred Place Where Life Begins.” Protecting the Porcupine caribou herd that calves each summer on the coastal plain is a matter of basic human rights for the Gwich’in.

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 1.6 million acre coastal plain – is home to countless species of birds and numerous land mammals, like caribou, musk oxen 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 is no wonder that the Arctic Refuge earned protections in 1960 shortly after Alaska became a state, which remained in place until December of 2017. Now for the first time in decades, the coastal plain faces the threat of oil and gas development, which would forever change this landscape.

As the tax reform debate came to a close in 2017, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski slipped two pages of drilling text into the final bill, undermining decades of thoughtful management and protections. The Trump administration held the first ever oil and gas lease sale on January 6th, 2020 in attempt to secure drilling rights before the incoming Biden administration. This lease sale was an enormous financial failure raising less than 1% of promised revenues, with the majority of the bids coming from a state-owned entity. On day one, the Biden administration issued a temporary moratorium on all leasing activities in the Arctic Refuge. However, legislation is still needed to repeal the Tax Act mandate and restore lasting protections to the coastal plain. 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. 815/S. 282 Arctic Refuge Protection Act (117th Congress)
  • This bill would repeal the provision of the tax bill (H.R. 1) that mandates leasing in the Arctic Refuge and designate the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge as wilderness.
  • To cosponsor, email Logan Ferree (mailto:logan.ferree@mail.house.gov) in Representative Huffman's office (D-CA) or Hannah Vogel (mailto:hannah_vogel@markey.senate.gov) in Senator Markey's office (D-MA) for the Senate companion.
  • Support letter from over 200 organizations

• H.R. 1146 Arctic Refuge Cultural & Coastal Plain Protection Act (116th Congress)
  • This bill would repeal the provision of the tax bill (H.R. 1) that mandates leasing in the Arctic Refuge.
  • H.R. 1146 passed the House of Representatives on September 12th, 2019 and became the first stand alone bill to protect the Arctic Refuge to pass in Congress.
  • Support letter from over 50 organizations

• H.R. 1 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (115th Congress)
  • The overhaul of the American tax code came with a provision that mandated two oil and gas lease sales in the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge.
  • This provision claimed that these lease sales would raise a total of $1 billion in revenue for the Federal Treasury

Talking Points

• The Arctic Refuge is one of our nation’s most majestic public lands, home to the Porcupine Caribou Herd, denning polar bears, musk oxen, wolves, and nearly 200 species of migratory birds. Its biological heart, the coastal plain, is no place for oil and gas development.
• Indigenous voices in particular are being ignored. The Gwich’in people have worked to protect the Coastal Plain for generations because it is the calving and nursery grounds for the Porcupine Caribou Herd. The Gwich’in Nation strongly oppose this dangerous rush to drill, which threatens to alter caribou migration and population, risking the Gwich’in way of life. Protecting the caribou is a matter of basic human rights.
• Arctic oil will exacerbate the climate crisis. Burning Arctic Refuge oil threatens to release 4.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent into the atmosphere, according to the BLM estimate that there are 10 billion barrels of extractable oil in the coastal plain. This is equivalent to the annual emissions from more than 1,100 coal-fired power plants and would contribute significantly to the climate crisis. Just the process of extracting oil and gas from the coastal plain alone would create an additional 26 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions throughout the lifetime of the program according to BLM.
• Drilling in the Arctic Refuge is widely opposed by the American people. According to public opinion research commissioned by the Center for American Progress, two thirds of Americans oppose drilling in the Arctic Refuge, with a majority (52%) “strongly opposed.” And according to recent public polling done by Yale Climate Connections, a large majority of American voters (70%) oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Those strongly opposed outnumber those who strongly support the policy by more than 4 to 1.
• The lease sale resulted in abysmal revenues for the federal taxpayer: of the $12.1 million total, the federal government only receives 50%, or a mere $6 million. That’s 0.67% of what was promised by proponents ($6.06 million vs. $900 million). These revenues show there is no serious interest in development and the leasing program was established on a lie. Protecting these lands for tribes, communities, and the American public, however, is priceless, and the miniscule lease revenue shows that the Arctic Refuge Leasing Program is also horrendous economic policy.
• Banks have adopted policies that would preclude them from financing drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Financial institutions understand drilling in the Arctic Refuge would be a toxic investment and too big of a financial risk to take. All six major U.S. banks (Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo), along with over a dozen international banks, have rejected financing for drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Congressional leaders have written letters to the remaining major U.S. banks urging them to take this stance as well.
• The Trump administration cut corners to expedite oil and gas development. Interior’s rushed process to lease the coastal plain in place of a measured, science-driven effort that provides for robust public input is a disservice to the American people. Leaked memos from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other Department of the Interior agencies suggest that the BLM’s data is lacking and outdated and identify at least 20 major studies that should be conducted before giving oil and gas the green light.

Fact Sheets

• Support Restored Protections for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
• Arctic Refuge Leasing Program Broke Taxpayer Promise
• Harmful 3-D Seismic Exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
• Banks Reject Financing For Arctic Refuge Drilling
• Oil and Gas Activities Threaten Arctic Refuge Polar Bears

Congressional Letters

• Letter from House Natural Resources Committee to DOI Secretary Bernhardt Regarding the Arctic Refuge Leasing Program, December 2020
• Letter from Senate Democrats to Insurance Companies Asking them to Refuse Insuring for Oil Development in the Arctic Refuge, December 2020
• Letter from House Democrats to DOI Secretary Bernhardt Opposing Arctic Refuge Lease Sale and Seismic Exploration, December 2020
• Letter from Senate Democrats to DOI Secretary Bernhardt Opposing Arctic Refuge Lease Sale and Seismic Exploration, December 2020
• Letter from House Democrats to Banks Asking them to Refuse Financing for Oil Development in the Arctic Refuge, February 2020
• Letter from Senate Democrats to Banks Asking them to Refuse Financing for Oil Development in the Arctic Refuge, January 2020

Public Letters

• Letter from Faith Leaders Opposing Development in the Arctic Refuge, January 2021
• Letter from Conservation Alliance to President Biden, January 2021
• Letter from 300 Businesses Opposing Arctic Refuge Drilling, December 2020
• Letter from the Gwich'in Steering Committee to Insurance Companies, November 2020
• Letter from the Gwich'in Steering Committee to U.S. Banks, June 2020
• Letter from Scholars and Teachers to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Opposing the Draft EIS, March 2019
• Letter from Scientists to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Opposing the Draft EIS, March 2019
• Letter from the Gwich'in Steering Committee Opposing Development in the Arctic Refuge, May 2018
• Letter from Investors Worth $2.52 Trillion Opposing Development in the Arctic Refuge, May 2018

Maps

• Arctic Refuge Map - National Geographic
• Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) Lands in the Arctic Refuge
• Porcupine Caribou Herd Migration Route Map - Gwich'in Steering Committee
• Oil and Gas Leasing Along Alaska's North Slope
• Arctic Values Map
• Bird Migration Map

Research & Reports

• Oil & Gas Lease Sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Taxpayers for Common Sense, January 2021
• Arctic Refuge Lease Sale Analysis - Center for American Progress, January 2021
• Blocking Access to Scarce Water Supply Can Stop Oil Companies From Drilling the Arctic Refuge - Center for American Progress, September 2020
• Trump’s Energy Policies Put Alaska in the Climate Crosshairs - Center for American Progress, November 2019
• Taxpayers Lose on Arctic Drilling: Big Revenue Promises Don't Add Up - Taxpayers for Common Sense, August 2019
• The Energy and Climate Impacts of Oil Drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge - Symons Public Affairs, July 2019
• Trump Administration Is Suppressing Science and Public Opinion to Drill the Arctic Refuge - Center for American Progress, June 2019
• Interior Department Is Cutting Corners and Ignoring Science in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Center for American Progress, January 2019