the place
Home to the migrating Porcupine Caribou herd and denning polar bears, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the last expanse. The refuge spans a length of over 19 million acres (~ the size of S. Carolina) and it needs your help. This land is held sacred by the Gwich’in people, who are connected to Caribou as their main food source and way of life, as they have been for thousands of years.
the problem
The Trump administration, working with Republicans in Congress and an Alaska Native corporation, is pushing for oil exploration in the refuge.
Approval from Congress to open the area to oil exploration was included in the 2017 tax bill as a way to generate new revenue for the federal government.
By next year, the Interior Department expects to begin selling the first drilling leases.
According to the NYTimes, “the Trump administration is on pace to finish an environmental impact assessment in half the usual time. An even shorter evaluation of the consequences of seismic testing is nearing completion. Within months, trucks weighing up to 90,000 pounds could be conducting the tests across the tundra as they try to pinpoint oil reserves.”
Approval from Congress to open the area to oil exploration was included in the 2017 tax bill as a way to generate new revenue for the federal government.
By next year, the Interior Department expects to begin selling the first drilling leases.
According to the NYTimes, “the Trump administration is on pace to finish an environmental impact assessment in half the usual time. An even shorter evaluation of the consequences of seismic testing is nearing completion. Within months, trucks weighing up to 90,000 pounds could be conducting the tests across the tundra as they try to pinpoint oil reserves.”
why you should care
This is one of the last wild, pristine pieces of land in America, let alone the world. It is public land that belongs to all Americans, and is your land to protect.
“Seismic testing,” although it sounds banal will bring noise, sound and physical pollution to an area that is home to animals and the indigenous communities that live and depend on this land, the Gwich’in people. This austere and incredible landscape could quickly be no more, robbing the Gwich’in of their way of life and their main sources of food.
Lastly, the Arctic is ground zero for climate change; temperatures in the Arctic are rising at twice the rate of the rest of the planet. The permafrost in the refuge store carbon from the atmosphere, and are at risk of release as they continue to melt. It is a delicate place that needs to be protected.
“Seismic testing,” although it sounds banal will bring noise, sound and physical pollution to an area that is home to animals and the indigenous communities that live and depend on this land, the Gwich’in people. This austere and incredible landscape could quickly be no more, robbing the Gwich’in of their way of life and their main sources of food.
Lastly, the Arctic is ground zero for climate change; temperatures in the Arctic are rising at twice the rate of the rest of the planet. The permafrost in the refuge store carbon from the atmosphere, and are at risk of release as they continue to melt. It is a delicate place that needs to be protected.
how you can help
- Reach out to your Senator to support bill H.R. 1146, repealing the provision in the tax bill that allows Arctic Refuge drilling.
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Purchase a limited edition print of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. Proceeds go to the Gwich’in Steering committee.
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Register to vote & vote for politicians that have environment and climate change on their agenda.
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Donate to Alaska Wilderness League.
- Share this project—