Latest news with #AlaskaWildernessLeague
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump officials open up millions of acres in Alaska to drilling and mining
Millions of acres of Alaska wilderness will lose federal protections and be exposed to drilling and mining in the Trump administration's latest move to prioritize energy production over the shielding of the US's open spaces. Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, said on Monday that the government would reverse an order issued by Joe Biden in December that banned drilling in the remote 23m-acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), the New York Times reported. The former president's executive order was part of a package of protections for large areas of Alaska, some elements of which the state was challenging in court when he left office in January. Burgum was speaking in Alaska on Monday accompanied by the Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin, and the energy secretary Chris Wright. He said the Biden administration had prioritized 'obstruction over production' and Biden's order was 'undermining our ability to harness domestic resources at a time when American energy independence has never been more critical'. In a post to Twitter/X, Wright said oil production was the 'engine of economic growth' in Alaska, funding more than 90% of the state's general revenue. 'Unleashing American energy goes hand in hand with unleashing American prosperity,' he wrote. Donald Trump declared a 'national energy emergency' on the first day of his second term of office in January, promising an avalanche of executive orders friendly to the fossil fuel industry and supporting his campaign message of 'drill, baby, drill'. Environmental groups had long feared Alaska would be the US president's number one target given the state's abundance of untapped oil and gas reserves, and immediately criticized the move to open up drilling in an area crucial to the survival of imperiled Arctic species. 'The Trump administration's move to roll back protections in the most ecologically important areas of the Western Arctic threatens wildlife, local communities, and our climate, all to appease extractive industries,' Kristen Miller, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League, said in a statement. Related: 'Protect our future': Alaskan Indigenous town fights 'destructive' uranium mine project 'This is another outrageous attempt to sell off public lands to oil industry billionaires at the expense of one of the wildest places left in America. 'These lands are home to caribou, migratory birds, and vital subsistence resources that Indigenous communities have relied on for generations. The public fought hard for these protections, and we won't stay silent while they're dismantled.' The NPR-A lies about 600 miles north of Anchorage, and is bordered by the Chukchi Sea to the west and Beaufort Sea to the north. It is the largest single area of public land in the US, the Times reported. It was created at the beginning of the 20th century as an emergency fuel reserve for the military, and expanded to full commercial development in 1976 by an act of Congress. Lawmakers, however, ordered that land conservation measures and wildlife protections should be given prominence. Trump's efforts to turbocharge drilling in Alaska, however, have not been as popular as he would have liked. Despite a promise to 'open up' the 19m-acre Arctic national wildlife refuge, a proposed auction of leases in January, authorized by the previous Congress but a crucial plank of the incoming president's energy strategy, did not attract any bidders. 'There are some places too special and sacred to exploit with oil and gas drilling,' Laura Daniel-Davis, the acting deputy secretary of the interior department, told the Times.
The Guardian
06-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump interior department directive raises fears for national monuments
The US interior department has raised fears among conservationist groups about how national monuments will be affected in its transformation to support the Trump administration's pro-fossil fuel agenda. A review from Trump's pick for interior secretary, Doug Burgum, released on his first full day in the position on Monday, instructs federal officials to reverse Biden-era regulations on oil and gas industries and boost drilling. Burgum also called for 'actions to review and, as appropriate, revise all withdrawn lands', which conservationist groups described as a threat to redraw boundaries of national monuments. 'Burgum has proven he's nothing more than a puppet for Trump's excessive giveaways to billionaires,' said Kristen Miller, who directs the conservation group Alaska Wilderness League. The seven-page directive says 'burdensome regulations' enshrined by President Joe Biden should be overturned to further fossil fuel development. 'By removing such regulations, America's natural resources can be unleashed to restore American prosperity,' it says. Fossil fuel interests poured $96m into Donald Trump's re-election campaign and affiliated political action committees. Burgum gave agency officials until 18 February to submit plans on how to comply with his order. Among the sites conservationists fear are most at risk are Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah, where state officials fought against their creation. Grand Staircase-Escalante holds large coal reserves, and the Bears Ears area has uranium. Trump reduced the size of the two monuments during his first term, calling them a 'massive land grab'. He also lifted fishing restrictions within a sprawling marine monument off the New England coast. Biden later restored protections for all three sites. Whether Trump has the authority to change the boundaries of existing monuments is unclear and part of a pending legal case. 'This is a sneaky, unpatriotic attack that strikes at the very foundation of the country's adored public lands, including national parks and monuments. These national treasures are broadly beloved,' a coalition of national monument advocates said in a statement on Tuesday. The group includes business owners, environmental and conservation organizations, and outdoor recreation supporters. National monuments safeguard public water and wildlife, boost the outdoor-recreation economy, protect trails and preserve culturally and geographically significant sites, the group said. The Utah monuments encompass more than 3.2m acres (13m hectares) – an area nearly the size of Connecticut. They were created under the Antiquities Act, a 1906 law that gave presidents the powers to protect sites considered historic, geographically significant or culturally important. The supreme court has affirmed the president's authority to create national monuments, and both Democrats and Republicans – including Trump – have used the Antiquities Act. Interior department officials declined to say whether any monuments would be singled out and stressed that no decisions had been made. Burgum did not explicitly mention any monuments in his order but cited the federal statute that corresponds to the 1906 law. The interior secretary's directive came amid record oil and gas production in the US. 'Burgum's vision of American energy 'dominance' continues the Maga movement's essential lie about US energy policy,' said Alan Zibel, research director at the consumer advocacy non-profit Public Citizen. 'America's energy 'potential' has already been unlocked due to a 15-year fracking boom that pushed production – and exports to foreign countries – to record levels.' Burgum, a billionaire, is the former governor of North Dakota, which is the third largest oil and natural gas producer in the country. He played a key role in the development of the Trump administration's energy policy. After the president asked oil executives to steer $1bn toward his campaign, Burgum promised them Trump would halt Joe Biden's 'attack' on fossil fuels. Associated Press contributed to this report
