Washington D.C. — The U.S. Department of the Interior has announced a request for information seeking public input on expanding protections for key areas in the Western Arctic, encompassing over 23 million acres of public lands in Alaska. This initiative builds on the administration’s previous actions to conserve more than 13 million acres of America's Western Arctic.
Nicole Gentile, senior director for Conservation at the Center for American Progress, responded to this announcement: "This move to gather information on the most ecologically and culturally important areas in the Western Arctic is a meaningful step to limit the damage of reckless oil and gas drilling on pristine and vulnerable public lands. Places such as Teshekpuk Lake and Colville River are vital habitats for caribou and migratory birds and significant for Alaska Native subsistence that should be conserved. They should be protected from short-sighted development and pollution."
Gentile added, "By seeking input on how to safeguard America’s most valuable public lands, the Biden administration is furthering its historic commitment to community-oriented conservation and stewardship of America’s lands and waters."
Related resource:
“Biden’s Opportunity To Protect the Western Arctic in the Wake of the Willow Project” by Sam Zeno and Jenny Rowland-Shea
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].
