Backlash as America's 'last great wilderness' to be sold off for oil drilling

The Arctic National Wildlife Reserve in Alaska
Getty
Harriet Pavey9 November 2017

Plans to sell off swathes of America’s “last great wilderness” to oil and gas developers have sparked outrage among environmentalists.

The move is expected to generate more than £763 million ($1 billion) in federal revenue.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), home to polar bears, moose and hundreds of species of migratory birds, could soon see corporations drilling for resources on its land.

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced legislation on Wednesday that would designate a portion of the 19 million acre area of Alaska to energy production.

If passed in the senate, the bill would allow 400,000 acres of the ANWR to be sold off to energy companies.

Demonstrators protest the threat to Alaskan polar bears during a hearing of the House Select Energy Independence and Global Warming Committee
Getty

Ms Murkowski said the legislation would “put Alaska and the entire nation on a path toward greater prosperity by creating jobs, keeping energy affordable for families and businesses, generating new wealth, and strengthening our security.”

She added it would reduce federal deficit “not just by $1 billion over ten years, but tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars over the decades to come.”

But the plans have sparked backlash among conservationists. Adam Kolton, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League, said in a statement that “nothing in this bill can magically make these fantastical revenue assumptions materialize."

The reserve covers a 19 million acre area
Getty

“What this bill would do is turn America’s last great wilderness into a lost wilderness,” Kolton said.

Democrats have also recoiled at the idea of drilling in the pristine natural landscape. Senator Maria Campbell said: “If you want to open up the Arctic refuge, you should just admit you’re going to destroy the wildlife refuge.”

A measure to prevent the ANWR bill from moving forward was blocked by Senate Republicans last month.

Ms Murkowski defended the bill against claims lawkmakers are prioritising short-term economic gains over environmental protection.

“This is not a choice between energy and the environment,” she said. “We are past that.”

A committee hearing on Murkowski’s bill is scheduled for 15 November.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in