Udall Slams Interior Department Plan to Offer Oil and Gas Leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Statement

Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) released the following statement on the decision by Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to auction oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge at the end of 2020:

"It is shocking, but not surprising, that as the country remains focused on serious public health and economic crises, Secretary Bernhardt is focused on drilling in one of the world's last, truly wild places. Despite strong support by the American people to protect the Arctic Refuge and opposition to drilling from the Gwich'in people who have subsisted on the Porcupine Caribou Herd for thousands of years, the Trump administration is moving forward with its reckless decision to allow drilling in this pristine and complete ecosystem, home to caribou, polar bears and Common, King and Spectacled eiders. As climate change and the loss of nature continue to worsen, this is a needless giveaway that puts near-term profits ahead of our long-term national interest and will only make both problems worse.

"The entire federal government including the Interior Department should be focused on economic recovery that includes job creation, resilience, long term sustainability, and better public health and environmental outcomes for all Americans. And given the current crises' effects on oil markets, the last thing we need is massive new leasing, much less in an incredibly important habitat. The Trump administration is completely failing to focus on the immediate needs of suffering Americans from the pandemic and economic crises--not to mention failing to prevent the climate and extinction disasters looming on the horizon."

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