U.S. approves oil drilling in Arctic wildlife refuge amid environmental concerns

U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt on Monday approved an oil and gas leasing program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), opening up part of the 19.3-million-acre protected area in Alaska to drilling for the first time amid opposition from environmental groups.

“Congress directed us to hold lease sales in the ANWR Coastal Plain, and we have taken a significant step in meeting our obligations by determining where and under what conditions the oil and gas development program will occur,” Bernhardt said in a statement.

“Our program meets the legal mandate that Coastal Plain leaseholders get the necessary rights-of-way, easements and land areas for production and support facilities they need to find and develop these important Arctic oil and gas resources,” he said.

As part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed in December 2017, U.S. Congress authorized to make a 1.56-million-acre area of the refuge, known as the Coastal Plain program area, available for oil and gas leasing, while leaving 92 percent of the refuge off-limits to energy development.

“Today’s announcement marks a milestone in Alaska’s forty-year journey to responsibly develop our State and our Nation’s new energy frontier,” Alaska Governor Michael Dunleavy said in a statement.

“The Record of Decision is a definitive step in the right direction to developing this area’s energy potential – between 4.3 and 11.8 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil reserves,” he said.