Conservation Leaders Urge Oil Giants to Stay Out of Arctic Refuge Lease Sale
The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the birthing ground of the famed Porcupine Caribou Herd
Credit: Peter Mather.
The letter reminds business executives of the professional risks of bidding on leases in the Arctic Refuge
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — Leaders of 13 conservation organizations have sent a letter to 11 oil company executives, strongly urging them not to bid on tracts in the sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge during an upcoming oil and gas lease sale.
The federal Bureau of Land Management recently announced that the next oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic Refuge has been scheduled for June 5. Two previous lease sales in the Refuge have been massive failures. The Refuge was opened to oil and gas leasing by passage of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act with promises from pro-drilling members of Congress that lease sales would generate billions in revenue. The reality is that those lease sales raised a tiny fraction of that amount, likely foreshadowing the fiscal outcome of future lease sales, as well.
The letter (attached), sent to ConocoPhillips, Shell, Exxon, and Chevron, among others, reminds these business executives of the professional risks of bidding on leases in the Arctic Refuge and the strong public opposition to development in this environmentally sensitive area.
“Even at a time when the daily news cycle is frenetic and crowded, activity affecting this region would not occur quietly,” the letter states. “The Arctic Refuge stands as a crown jewel in our nation’s beloved public lands system. The public overwhelmingly supports protecting it, making any action there especially visible and consequential …
“Engagement in Arctic Refuge leasing is not a routine business decision, especially now, as the stakes are even higher than before. The current policy environment, marked by unpredictability and ever-evolving approaches to process and oversight, adds further uncertainty for long-term investment. In the Arctic Refuge, these dynamics are compounded by the region’s remoteness, lack of infrastructure, environmental sensitivity, and dramatic warming, all of which increase the complexity, cost, and risk associated with development.”
This letter follows a request from the Gwich’in Steering Committee sent to oil companies on April 28, formally requesting a meeting to discuss the opposition of the Gwich’in Nation to oil and gas exploration and activities in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
At 19.3 million acres, the Arctic Refuge is America’s largest wildlife refuge and provides habitat for caribou, polar bear and migrating birds from across the globe, and a diverse range of wilderness lands. House Bill 3067, the Arctic Refuge Protection Act, which has more than 100 co-sponsors, would remove leasing from the 1.6-million-acre Refuge coastal plain and permanently protect it.
