On June 25, 2020, the Trump administration released the final version of its plan for Alaska’s Western Arctic region. The final “integrated activity plan” expands oil and gas drilling into land previously set aside for wildlife habitats.
Research from the Center for Biological Diversity states that burning the recoverable Alaskan oil would create more than 1.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide, equal to 300 coal plants running year round. These emissions stand to further endanger polar bears, ice seals, and native wildlife already endangered in a warming world.
“The Bureau of Land Management announced the release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement of the Integrated Activity Plan, the management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska in the Western Arctic, following a rushed and incomplete process and further eroding protections put in place through rigorous study and public input”
The new plan stands to endanger millions of native birds, polar bears, and caribou. “Opening more of the Arctic to drilling and fracking is incredibly reckless… All Arctic oil should stay in the ground.” said Kristen Monsell, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity.