Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

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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 one of the most iconic and pristine landscapes in America. Its 1.5 million-acre coastal plain – the biological heart – is home to more than 250 species that migrate from all 50 states and 6 continents each year. The Porcupine Caribou Herd, a primary subsistence food source for the Indigenous Gwich’in people, migrates hundreds of miles each year to the coastal plain to give birth. Because of this, the Gwich’in refer to the coastal plain as “The Sacred Place Where Life Begins.”

Despite the sacred and wild beauty that survives in the Refuge, the Trump administration is barreling towards a drilling program in its fragile coastal plain. After the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R.1) in December 2017, which included the Arctic Refuge drilling mandate, the administration and supporters in Congress have made it abundantly clear that they intend to rush through public processes this while the political winds are in their favor.

As early as winter 2018, SAExploration has proposed three dimensional seismic testing in the Arctic Refuge. Seismic activity is a huge threat to the fragile coastal plain and a dangerous step forward in the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to lease the Arctic Refuge in less than a year. They are aiming for the first lease by summer 2019, and once the land has been leased, it is more difficult undo this process and to protect it from development. 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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