The Trump administration has approved more oil and gas drilling across Alaska’s Arctic national wildlife refuge (ANWR), prompting widespread criticism from environmental conservation organizations.
On Thursday, the interior secretary announced the opening of 1.56m acres across ANWR’s coastal plains, which is home to various wildlife including polar bears, caribou and moose, as well as whales and seals.
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’s announcement comes as part of the Trump administration’s reversal of Joe Biden’s decision in 2024 to expand federal protections across the reserve.
In addition, the department reissued necessary permits to establish the Ambler Road Project, a controversial proposal for a 211-mile gravel road, part of which will be built through south-western Alaska’s Izembek national wildlife refuge.