The Trump administration is pushing ahead with its first-ever sale of oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
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| A polar bear cub playing in a snow drift in the area |
The massive Arid Alaska region is home to many essential species, including polar bears, ibex, and wolves.
But after decades of wrangling, the rights to drill for oil in about 5% of the bunker will go ahead.
Opponents have criticized the rushed nature of the sale, which comes just days before President Trump's term ends.
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Covering about 19 million acres (78,000 km), the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is frequently described as the last major desolate trail in America.
It is a very important site for many species, including polar bears.
In the winter months, pregnant bears build dens to give birth in.
As temperatures rose and sea ice became thinner, these bears began to build their dens on the ground.
The ANWR coastal plain now contains the highest concentration of these dens in the state.
The sanctuary is also home to Porcupine caribou, one of the largest herds in the world, numbering around 200,000 animals.
In the spring, the herd moves to the ANWR Coastal Plain because it is their preferred birth ground.
The Coastal Plain itself is now the subject of the first oil sale ever in the shelter.
The pressure to excavate in the park was a decades-long battle between state government-backed oil companies and environmental and local opponents.
Many Alaska political representatives believe that drilling at the bunker could lead to another major oil discovery, such as the one in Prudhoe Bay, west of ANWR.
Prudhoe Bay is the largest oil field in North America and supporters believe ANWR shares the same geology and potential crude oil reserves.
Oil revenues are essential to Alaska, as each resident receives a check for about $ 1,600 each year from the state's permanent fund.
In 2017, the Trump administration's tax cut bill contained a requirement to open the ANWR Coastal Drilling Plain. It was seen as a way to offset the costs of tax cuts.
The US Bureau of Land Management is now selling the digging rights to 22 plots covering nearly one million acres.Thease oil and gasoline leases for 10 years.
The Trump administration is advancing alongside the rigorous and legally required assessment of the impacts that such things will have on the surrounding environment or on humans from Guchin.
who have relied on this land for thousands of years," said Christine Munsell, a senior defense attorney.
The Center for Biological Diversity, based in Tucson, Arizona, who sought an injunction against the sale.
"That is why we brought them to court. We cannot allow Trump to turn this amazing spectacle into an oil field."
Reports indicate that interest in rental sales has been low.
While it is estimated that there are around 11 billion barrels of oil under the shelter, it has no roads or other infrastructure, which makes it a very expensive place to explore for oil.
Several large US banks have said they will not fund oil and gas exploration in the region.
There is also the issue of changing the leadership in the White House. Biden's team appointed Deb Haaland as Home Secretary. She has recorded on the registry that she is strongly against drilling into ANWR.
With climate change set to be a central focus of the Biden administration, efforts to extract new fossil fuels in Alaska are likely to be subject to review and delays.
This may ultimately limit the interest and opportunity to drill for oil at the bunker.
They will not destroy our sacred lands!!! the fight is far from over..... Stand with the Gwich'in Protect the Arctic Refuge the calving grounds of the majestic porcupine caribou herd.
— Bernadette Demientieff (@bernademientief) January 6, 2021
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