Trump is Continuing to Sell Off Our Public Lands to Big Polluters With His Arctic Refuge Lease Sale

Washington, D.C. — In advance of the Department of the Interior’s oil and gas lease sale in the 1.5 million acre Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the League of Conservation Voters released the following statement from Conservation Program Director, America Fitzpatrick:

“The diverse and sacred landscape of the Arctic Refuge is unlike any other and should never be sacrificed for oil and gas drilling. Not only would it devastate the wildlife that sustains the Gwich’in and forever alter this last wild place, past failed lease sales demonstrate that it is not economical, and more drilling would do nothing to lower energy costs caused by Trump’s reckless and unpopular energy policies. Any companies considering drilling in the Arctic Refuge would be doing so against the majority of people who support protecting this critical landscape. 

Instead of investing in clean energy solutions that are more affordable and faster to deploy, the Trump administration is cancelling clean energy projects and putting our public lands up for sale to push his ‘drill, baby, drill’ agenda and give more handouts to his Big Polluter friends. LCV stands with the Gwich’in and urges companies to listen to the public and oppose drilling in the Arctic Refuge.”

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For more information about Interior’s oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic Refuge, check out the latest episode of LCV’s podcast, The Power Source.