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Trump administration announces plans to drill in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt on Monday announced plans for an oil and gas leasing program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, clearing the way for drilling in the remote Alaskan area.
Politics
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt on Monday announced plans for an oil and gas leasing program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, clearing the way for drilling in the remote Alaskan area.
Bernhardt said a future lease of the federally-owned land will make the entire 1.5 million acre Coastal Plain area available.
Bernhardt said the announcement "marks a new chapter in American energy independence" and predicted it could "create thousands of new jobs."
Drilling in these controversial areas of the Alaskan arctic has long been controversial. A 2017 law required the department to hold two lease sales in the refuge by 2024. A date for those sales has not yet been set, Bernahrdt said.