President Trump’s executive order to boost resource extraction in Alaska targets protected areas, drawing support from state leaders and pushback from environmentalists citing climate concerns.
Becky Bohrer reports for The Associated Press.
In short:
- The executive order aims to open areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and temperate rainforests to drilling, mining and logging, reversing Biden-era restrictions.
- Alaska political leaders support the move, citing economic needs, while environmental groups vow legal challenges over climate and ecological impacts.
- Trump’s order seeks rapid leasing and permitting in sensitive areas, but opposition highlights risks to wildlife and the warming Arctic.
Key quote:
The Arctic is "the worst place to be expanding oil and gas development. No place is good because we need to be contracting and moving to a green economy and addressing the climate crisis.”
— Erik Grafe, attorney with Earthjustice
Why this matters:
Expanding fossil fuel extraction in one of the most climate-sensitive regions of the world risks exacerbating global warming, threatening indigenous communities and wildlife that depend on the fragile Arctic ecosystem. In addition, melting permafrost and rising sea levels — already stark realities in the region — highlight the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels, a move that expansion plans directly oppose.
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