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Latest IPCC Report: How Worried Should We Be?
On Monday, March 21, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published the Synthesis Report to the Sixth Assessment Report. In short, this IPCC report brings together more than 1,000 scientists from around the world and six years of research to determine the likelihood of atmospheric warming as well as the impacts from…
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2023 Strategy for Winning Arctic Refuge Protections
At the end of January 2023, over 50 members of the Arctic Refuge Defense Campaign gathered in Washington, D.C. for a three-day strategy meeting in which we discussed how to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from drilling in the current political landscape. The Arctic Refuge Defense Campaign was created in 2018 following the passage…
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Alaska Wilderness League in Lawsuit Challenging ConocoPhillips’ Willow Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 16, 2023 Contact: Aileo Weinmann | aileo@alaskawild.org Alaska Wilderness League in Lawsuit Challenging ConocoPhillips’ Willow ProjectCourt filing today asks for immediate action before blasting begins this spring Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, Alaska Wilderness League was among six groups that filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court challenging the Biden administration’s…
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Alaska Wilderness League Welcomes Action to Protect Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 13, 2023 Contact: Aileo Weinmann | aileo@alaskawild.org Alaska Wilderness League Welcomes Action to Protect Izembek National Wildlife Refuge“Alaska’s public lands and waters can provide for current and future generations only if they are protected from irreversible harm” Washington, D.C. – Alaska Wilderness League welcomes Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s announcement today withdrawing…
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Press Release: White House Approves Massive Willow Project to Drill America’s Arctic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 13, 2023 Contact: Aileo Weinmann | aileo@alaskawild.org White House Approves Massive Willow Project to Drill America’s Arctic“We will not back down until the Arctic is protected, once and for all.” Washington, D.C. – Alaska Wilderness League is expressing deep disappointment with President Biden’s decision to greenlight the massive Willow oil and…
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What #StopWillow Accomplished in Just 30 Days
In just the past week, supporters all over the country have helped the #StopWillow campaign “go viral.” As of March 8th, across social media platforms, hashtags related to #StopWillow have more than 650 million views, helping to drive nearly 5 MILLION petition signatures across campaign partners. In fact, the #willowproject is the second most trending…
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Your Love Has Kept Alaska Wild
Who do we love? Alaska Wilderness League advocates like you, that’s who! In appreciation for everyone who has raised their voice to make sure Alaska’s wild landscapes endure to support vibrant communities and abundant wildlife for generations to come, we hope you enjoy this little video with footage from our partner, world-renown photographer Florian Schulz.…
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Press Release: Congressional Leaders Introduce Arctic Refuge Protection Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 2, 2023 Contact: Aileo Weinmann | 202-538-5038 | aileo@alaskawild.org Congressional Leaders Introduce Arctic Refuge Protection Bill “We applaud our congressional champions for upholding the tradition of strong support for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge” Washington, D.C. – Leaders in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House introduced the Arctic Refuge Protection Act to designate…
Read morePEOPLE LIKE YOU KEEP PLACES LIKE THESE WILD:
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. We call on the Biden administration to work with Congress to repeal the oil leasing mandate and buy back leases, restoring 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.