WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 19, 2017) — The U.S. Senate is set to vote on a budget resolution that would revoke the 35-year-old Congressional prohibition on oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The National Wildlife Federation is urging senators to support an amendment stripping out the provision.
Located in the northeast corner of Alaska, the 19.6-million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to more than 200 bird species, which migrate to the refuge to breed in the summer. As many as 300,000 snow geese visit the coastal plain each fall to feed on the tundra. Other wildlife travelers on the Arctic Refuge include the 130,000-member porcupine caribou herd. Each spring, the herd migrates more than 1,400 miles across Canada and Alaska to calve in the refuge's coastal plain.
“For decades, members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have come together to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas drilling, and we urge that bipartisan conservation tradition to continue today. For the caribou, bear, musk ox, and waterfowl that call this pristine wilderness home, and indigenous communities that depend upon it, our vigilant efforts to protect this special place are absolutely essential,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “Alaska now suffers from the highest unemployment rate in the country and Congress should absolutely help expand economic opportunity, but risking the state’s unrivaled natural resources by making its economy even more dependent on an already-shrinking fossil fuel sector is not the answer.”
A 2008 assessment by the U.S. Energy Information Administration found oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge wouldn’t lower oil prices because, “Assuming that world oil markets continue to work as they do today, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) could neutralize any potential price impact of ANWR oil production by reducing its oil exports by an equal amount.”
Alaska has suffered several high-profile oil disasters over the years:
The National Wildlife® Photo Contest celebrates the power of photography to advance conservation and connect people with wildlife and the outdoors.
Enter TodayPresident and CEO Collin O’Mara reveals in a TEDx Talk why it is essential to connect our children and future generations with wildlife and the outdoors—and how doing so is good for our health, economy, and environment.
Watch NowDitch the disposables and make the switch to sustainable products.
Shop NowMore than one-third of U.S. fish and wildlife species are at risk of extinction in the coming decades. We're on the ground in seven regions across the country, collaborating with 53 state and territory affiliates to reverse the crisis and ensure wildlife thrive.