(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – In a sneaky lame-duck move, the Biden-Harris administration aims to dismantle expansive oil drilling permissions in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, unraveling Donald Trump’s policies that prioritized America’s energy independence and resource development.
The Biden administration moved swiftly after Trump’s re-election, imposing stricter limits on oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), aiming to auction only 400,000 acres for leasing in the refuge’s northwest region.
This new plan contradicts a Trump-backed 2017 law, which mandated broader lease sales in ANWR’s vast 1.6 million-acre coastal plain.
This move aligns with the Biden administration’s broader efforts to protect climate change actions, reports The Washington Post.
Critics argue that these new limitations compromise America’s energy security, as ANWR is considered to hold significant oil reserves, often described by Trump as “liquid gold” in his speeches.
While environmental groups have expressed gratitude, the decision has sparked outrage among some Alaska Native groups who see this as a threat to economic well-being.
North Slope Borough Mayor Josiah Patkotak emphasized, “It seems that once again the people of the North Slope are being told that our voices and lived experience are insufficient, and that federal laws passed by Congress mean little in the eyes of the Biden administration’s Department of the Interior.”
This contentious battle over ANWR has persisted for decades, polarizing opinions on energy development and environmental conservation.
Although the administration seeks to conduct the minimum acreage auction required by law, it also aims to protect the refuge’s unique ecosystems.
Environmental advocate Nicole Whittington-Evans warns, “Industrializing the coastal plain would bring irreparable harm to caribou, polar bears, and threatens the cultural and spiritual existence of the Gwich’in people.”
“Industrializing the coastal plain would bring irreparable harm to caribou, polar bears, and threaten the cultural and spiritual existence of the Gwich’in people,” says Nicole Whittington-Evans of Defenders of Wildlife, cited by Illuminen.com.
Proponents of the restrictions argue that they are essential to curb the threats posed by oil development to wildlife and Indigenous ways of life.
The process faces looming legal and political challenges, amidst a divided reception from local and national stakeholders.
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