{"id":247325,"date":"2025-10-24T00:25:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T00:25:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/247325\/"},"modified":"2025-10-24T00:25:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T00:25:07","slug":"white-house-approves-increased-oil-and-gas-drilling-in-alaskas-national-wildlife-refuge-alaska","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/247325\/","title":{"rendered":"White House approves increased oil and gas drilling in Alaska\u2019s national wildlife refuge | Alaska"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Trump administration<\/a> has approved more oil and gas drilling across Alaska\u2019s<\/a> Arctic national wildlife refuge (ANWR), prompting widespread criticism from environmental conservation organizations.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the interior secretary announced<\/a> the opening of 1.56m acres across ANWR\u2019s coastal plains, which is home to various wildlife including polar bears, caribou and moose, as well as whales<\/a> and seals.<\/p>\n

The interior department also announced an oil and gas lease sale with the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska this winter, which is set to mark the first sale in the 23m-acre reserve since 2019. Thursday\u2019s announcement comes as part of the Trump administration\u2019s reversal<\/a> of Joe Biden\u2019s decision in 2024 to expand federal protections across the reserve.<\/p>\n

In addition, the department reissued necessary permits to establish the Ambler Road Project, a controversial proposal for a 211-mile gravel road,<\/a> part of which will be built through<\/a> south-western Alaska\u2019s Izembek national wildlife refuge.<\/p>\n

Once built, the road would endanger more than 200,000 migratory birds that cross through the refuge annually, among other wildlife, according to<\/a> the National Wildlife Refuge Association. The project would also threaten multiple Indigenous tribes that rely on the area for hunting and fishing. At least 39 of Alaska\u2019s interior villages and 37 tribes oppose<\/a> the road.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, proponents of the project include Alaska\u2019s congressional representatives, who have said<\/a> that the road is necessary to access a $7bn copper deposit, as well as other manufacturing minerals including cobalt and zinc.<\/p>\n

Hailing the moves on Thursday, the US interior secretary, Doug Burgum, said: \u201cFrom day one, President Trump directed us to unlock Alaska\u2019s energy and resource potential while honoring commitments to the state and local communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy reopening the coastal plain and advancing key infrastructure, we are strengthening energy independence, creating jobs and supporting Alaska\u2019s communities while driving economic growth across the state,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Environmental groups have sounded the alarm, with the Alaska Wilderness League saying:<\/a> \u201cThe Arctic refuge is the crown jewel of our public lands system. During a government shutdown, when everyday Americans are left without basic services, President Trump has chosen to double down on failed policies that prioritize oil corporations over people.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cOpening the entire coastal plain of the Arctic refuge to drilling would destroy one of the most ecologically significant landscapes on earth \u2013 the birthing grounds of the porcupine caribou herd, vital habitat for polar bears and migratory birds, and sacred land for the Gwich\u2019in people who have stewarded its resources for millennia,\u201d the group added.<\/p>\n

Similarly, the non-profit public interest group Earthjustice condemned the announcement, with its attorney Erik Grafe saying<\/a>: \u201cToday\u2019s Arctic refuge announcement puts America \u2013 and Alaska \u2013 last. Expanding oil drilling in the Arctic threatens irreplaceable wildlife and cultural traditions that exist nowhere else in the world \u2026 The Gwich\u2019in people, most Americans, and even major banks and insurance companies know the Arctic refuge is no place to drill.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sierra Club echoed similar sentiments, saying:<\/a> \u201cThese decisions will collectively wreak havoc on fragile Alaska ecosystems in the most disruptive way possible, causing long-term environmental damage, all to boost the bottom lines of CEOs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Trump administration has approved more oil and gas drilling across Alaska\u2019s Arctic national wildlife refuge (ANWR), prompting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":247326,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,79],"class_list":{"0":"post-247325","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-environment","9":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247325"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247325\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}