Arctic Coastal Plain. Photo by Lisa Hopp, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

November 17, 2020 - Washington - Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) released the following statement on the Trump administration’s plan to rush approval of drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge before the Biden administration takes office:

“The Trump administration is endangering the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by rushing to approve oil and gas drilling leases before Joe Biden becomes president.

“Republicans already exploited arcane budget rules to open this pristine Alaskan wilderness to drilling. Now the Trump administration is trying to push these leases through just days before it leaves office.

“This decision ignores the threat of climate change and needlessly exposes this pristine area to unnecessary gas and oil drilling. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a unique ecosystem, home to 42 fish species, 37 land mammals, eight marine mammals and more than 200 migratory and resident birds. The land is also sacred to the native Gwich’in people, and selling access to the highest bidder is a direct threat to their way of life.

“I plan to work with my colleagues to block or delay these sales. A lame-duck administration that lost convincingly at the ballot box two weeks ago shouldn’t push something this controversial through in its final days.”
Source: Senator Dianne Feinstein