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Arctic Refuge Drilling Fails Again: A Victory for Conservation and Common Sense
Big news from the Arctic Refuge: The latest oil and gas lease sale for the Coastal Plain bombed—not a single bid. Zero. Nada. This was supposed to be a cornerstone of Trump’s 2017 Tax Act’s promise to generate $2.2 billion for the American people. Instead, it’s yet another reminder that drilling the Arctic isn’t just…
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Biden Administration Releases Report for Western Arctic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 1/16/2025 Contact: Anja Semanco | anja@alaskawild.org | 724-967-2777 Biden Administration Releases Report for Western Arctic Washington, D.C. — The Department of the Interior today released its report in response to the 2024 Request for Information on whether to expand existing Special Areas or establish new ones in the Western Arctic. Kristen Miller,…
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Another Arctic Lease Sale Fails
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 1/08/2025 Contact: Anja Semanco | 724-967-2777 | anja@alaskawild.org Another Arctic Lease Sale Fails A Clear Sign Drilling the Arctic is Bad Business Washington, D.C. – The Department of the Interior canceled Friday’s lease sale on the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge after receiving no bids from oil and gas companies. This…
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Alaska Wilderness League Honors President Jimmy Carter’s Unparalleled Conservation Legacy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 12/29/2024 Contact: Anja Semanco | anja@alaskawild.org | 724-967-2777 Alaska Wilderness League Honors President Jimmy Carter’s Unparalleled Conservation Legacy Washington, D.C. — Alaska Wilderness League joins the nation in mourning the passing of former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away at the age of 100. Carter’s extraordinary legacy as a conservationist, particularly in Alaska,…
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Alaska Wilderness League Applauds Rep. Jared Huffman’s Selection as Ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 12/17/2024 Contact: Anja Semanco | anja@alaskawild.org | 724-967-2777 Alaska Wilderness League Applauds Rep. Jared Huffman’s Selection as Ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee Washington, D.C. (Date) – Alaska Wilderness League welcomes the unanimous decision by the House Democratic Caucus to appoint Congressman Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) as the new top Democrat on…
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The Arctic’s Alarming Shift: From Climate Regulator to Carbon Source
The Arctic is on fire—literally. As the planet warms, the once-frozen tundra is transforming into something unrecognizable. This year alone, wildfires across the Arctic Circle released 207 million metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere—the equivalent of emissions from 200 coal power plants. For the first time in thousands of years, the Arctic tundra isn’t…
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Drilling in the Arctic Refuge: A Financial Disaster and a Threat to Our Future
In 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed by the Trump administration included a highly controversial provision: it mandated two oil and gas lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The first sale, held on January 6, 2021, during the final days of the Trump presidency, was a bust. Now, the second lease…
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President Biden Finalizes Record of Decision for the Arctic Refuge
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 12/9/2024 Contact: Anja Semanco | anja@alaskawild.org | 724-967-2777 President Biden Finalizes Record of Decision for the Arctic Refuge Washington, D.C. — Today, the Biden administration released the legally mandated leasing Record of Decision (ROD) and Notice of Lease Sale for the Coastal Plain region of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This marks…
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ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Protecting the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is crucial because of its exceptional wilderness, wildlife, habitat and subsistence values. It is sacred to the Gwich’in People and other Indigenous communities in Alaska and Canada, who rely on its resources for food, as well as cultural and spiritual practices. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Tax Act) included a provision that opened the coastal plain to oil and gas development and mandated two lease sales by 2024. The Biden administration has revoked existing leases and we continue to work with the administration to restore protections to the Arctic Refuge coastal plain.
Photo credit: Micah Baird
NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE-ALASKA
Development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska in Alaska's western Arctic has begun, and ConocoPhillips' Willow project is the poster child for the type of massive fossil fuel development that must be avoided today if we’re to avoid the worst climate impacts down the road. Allowing oil drilling in and around the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area would also threaten an essential cultural area and food source for North Slope communities. Willow would significantly increase ConocoPhillips’ presence in the western Arctic while placing all the burden of development on the people and wildlife of the region.
TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST
The Tongass National Forest serves as a nationally important carbon sink by storing more carbon than any other forest in the country. It is also the linchpin of Southeast Alaska’s economy, attracting people from around the world for world-class recreation, hunting, and sport and commercial salmon fishing. To protect this national treasure, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced plans to restore protections to more than 9 million acres of roadless areas in the Tongass and end large-scale old-growth logging in America’s largest national forest.
Photo credit: Daniel Dietrich/DanielDietrichPhotography.com
ARCTIC OCEAN: THE BEAUFORT AND CHUKCHI SEAS
The Beaufort, Chukchi and Northern Bering seas provide habitat for a variety of irreplaceable wildlife, are central to the life and food security for coastal communities, and play a key role in regulating the world’s climate. Offshore oil and gas activities create significant risk to this important and fragile ecosystem and the coastal communities that have depended on it for millennia. The remoteness and unique characteristics of the Arctic marine environment make resource extraction particularly difficult and dangerous, making new leasing unwise in Arctic waters.
CHUGACH NATIONAL FOREST
More than 1 million people visit the Chugach annually from all over the world; however, it is local Alaskans — especially in and around Anchorage — who really utilize what the Chugach has to offer. According to the U.S. Forest Service, the Chugach serves as the “backyard” for half of Alaska’s residents.
Photo credit: Debbie S. Miller
BRISTOL BAY
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced it has denied a permit for the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska, determining that “the applicant’s plan for the discharge of fill material does not comply with Clean Water Act guidelines” and concluding that “the proposed project is contrary to the public interest." The Bristol Bay watershed in southwest Alaska boasts the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery that supports thousands of jobs. Alaskans and Bristol Bay’s Indigenous peoples, as well as hunters, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts from all across the country, spoke out in opposition to this ill-conceived project.