One of the most unspoiled wildernesses in North America is once again open for oil and gas drilling. On Thursday, Oct. 23, the Trump administration finalized plans to offer the coastal plains of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as drilling leases for oil and gas companies.
The move renews a longtime fight over drilling in this jewel of the American outdoors, which is considered critical habitat for species like polar bears and caribou.
Oil and gas leases will now be sold for the refuge’s 1.5-million–acre coastal plan, Doug Burgum, the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, announced this week. This fulfills a campaign promise from President Trump, who vowed to open many federally protected areas, including the refuge, to new drilling.
In the announcement, Secretary Burgum in Washington, D.C., was joined by Republican Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and members of the state’s Congress. However, it’s unclear whether Trump’s plans to drill in the Arctic will actually come to fruition.
A January lease sale for drilling in the refuge ended with zero bids — the second failed attempt in 4 years. Oil and gas companies have been hesitant to commit to drilling in the area over concerns about the huge expense, as well as public blowback. But with the White House now directly investing in private companies, including a mining operation, the political landscape may finally have changed enough to entice drillers to the area.
Ambler Road: New Era of State Capitalism
Burgum’s Thursday announcement also dropped several other bombshells for conservationists, including a renewed attempt to bring back the Ambler Road.
The proposed 200-mile road through Alaska’s beloved Brooks Range would allow a mining company to reach valuable mineral deposits in the state. Conservationists and tribal leaders have long opposed the road’s construction, arguing it would permanently alter the Brooks Range. Another pristine wilderness area popular among anglers and hikers, the range is a boon for tourism and a critical zone for indigenous tribes.
This controversial project has also been a long-time battle between the Trump and Biden administrations. Biden blocked resource extraction from the Brooks Range last year, only for Trump’s administration to once again put it back on the table this year.
But this time is different. Earlier this month, Trump directly invested the White House in Trilogy Metals, a Canadian mining company that has long pushed for the Ambler Road project.
Since taking office for his second term, Trump has taken the extremely rare step of direct investment in private companies — in the absence of an economic crisis. His administration now holds stakes in at least six companies, including Trilogy Metals.
According to a White House announcement on Oct. 6, the U.S. government will invest $35.6 million to support Trilogy Metals and its proposed Ambler Mining District. In return, the White House has gained a 10% stake in the Canadian company, with options to purchase another 7.5%.
Although Alaska’s governor and many Congressional representatives support the Ambler Road initiative, it remains highly controversial by the vast majority of indigenous Alaskan tribes, as well as hunting and fishing groups and conservationists.
More New Roads Through Wildlife Refuges
Burgum’s Thursday announcement included several other news items for Alaskans and conservationists. He also declared a finalized deal to allow another contested road through another prized wilderness area, this time, a gravel road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Alaska. Although the road remains controversial among Alaska’s indigenous tribes, the King Cove Corporation, a tribal organization, wants to build it.
Burgum did not provide details on the road deal, but the Interior Department is expected to transfer 490 acres of land within Izembek to the tribal group, according to The New York Times. The road would connect the remote town of King Cove to the Cold Bay airport, resolving “life-threatening challenges” for locals in need of medical care, Burgum said.
However, opponents of the road have said it could cause irreparable harm to wildlife and bird species that define their tribal culture.
“I worry every day about what’s going to happen to the brant and emperor geese if there’s a road in Izembek,” Chief Edgar Tall Sr. of the Native Village of Hooper Bay said in a statement. “Our people hunt these birds together so we can learn from each other and teach our children how to hunt and take care of the land.”
“If the birds disappear because of the Izembek road, our community could disappear too,” he warned.
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