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The Bureau of Land Management on Thursday announced its intention to sell oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an area of 19.64 million acres in northeast Alaska, Jan.6. The timing for the sale has been sped up in recent weeks, allowing the sale to be finalized ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
The Federal Register will issue a notice of sale on December 7, which will trigger a 30-day comment period before the lease sale date. The sale will allow companies to drill along the coastal plain.
Last month, oil companies were given a 30-day window to tell the government what land they would like to see included in the sale. That window was supposed to end on December 17 – and according to the New York Times, the office typically takes weeks to review comments before deciding which land to include in the sale.
The rushed timeline suggests that the Trump administration may try to finalize the sale before the Biden administration takes power on January 20. Mr Biden said he would. permanently protect the shelter.
The Bureau of Land Management had until December 2021 to complete the sale, which was approved under tax law in 2017, according to the Times.
“Coastal Plain oil and gas are an important resource to meet our nation’s long-term energy demand and will help create jobs and economic opportunities,” said Bureau of Land Management director Chad Padgett. , in a press release. “The law makes oil and gas development one of the goals of the refuge, clearly directing the secretary, acting through the Bureau of Land Management, to carry out a competitive rental program for the plain. coastal potentially rich in energy. “
The program could potentially affect 1.6 million acres of the coastal plain, or 8% of the entire refuge. Environmental activists and organizations, however, are not convinced of its safety or its potential.
The coastal plain is home to many species of fish and wildlife, including polar bears and sea ducks. Oil drilling has long been criticized for its potential impact on the environment, and last year Mr Trump relaxed safety rules for oil and gas companies.
The Sierra Club blasted the Trump administration for a move it said could negatively impact wildlife and “ignored the human rights of indigenous peoples who depend on the land and wildlife in the arctic refuge for their food security and their way of life “.
“This is a disgraceful attempt by Donald Trump to give the fossil fuel industry one last document on its way out, at the expense of our public lands and our climate,” said Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune. . “The Trump administration’s hasty and botched push to sell the Arctic Refuge for drilling was a disaster from day one, and ignored the serious and permanent damage drilling would cause to this unique ecosystem and the communities that depend on it. . ”
A decision report released in August outlines operating procedures and stipulations for companies that can lease the land, which includes protections for wildlife.
The policy and action group Environment America called the move a “scandal.” Just a few weeks ago, the group released a video urging oil companies not to lease the area, saying it is “too special” and “too sacred” to risk doing harm.
Six major U.S. banks – Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America – have all said they will not fund drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, according to the Sierra Club.
Brune said if a company is “stupid enough” to bid on the region, it will undoubtedly face legal and financial uncertainty and “massive public backlash”.
“Unlike Donald Trump’s political career, the fight to protect the Arctic refuge is far from over,” said Brune.
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