The Trump administration on Monday approved an oil and gas drilling program in the largest protected natural area in the United States, Alaska. The program concerns a coastal area of approximately 70,000 km², bordering the Arctic Ocean, and where polar bears and caribou live.
The sale of oil concessions could begin "as soon as the end of the year," Interior Minister David Bernhardt told the Wall Street Journal . The program would "create thousands of new jobs and generate tens of billions of dollars," said the minister. This decision is the culmination of thirty years of efforts by the oil companies and the rulers of Alaska to exploit the resources of this reserve.
More than controversial drilling
Since the 1980s, many environmental associations have denounced drilling projects in this protected area. "The Trump administration continues its race to liquidate the last wilderness area of our country," said Adam Kolton, director of the environmental protection association, worried about "the indigenous peoples and the iconic nature that depends on them. ".
"We will continue to fight this at all levels," he added. In 2017, Congress gave the government until December 2021 to sell the oil concessions. But between the lowest oil prices and the environmental controversies, it is not certain that these lots attract companies. Several large banks have also refused to finance drilling in this Alaskan refuge.
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