WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall released the following comment on the Department of Interior’s Notice of Intent to establish a process for an oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge:
“The Trump administration is moving full steam ahead on its destructive plan to drill in one of the world’s last, truly wild places – despite pleas from the American people to protect the Arctic Refuge, opposition from the Gwich’in people who live there, and a complete lack of evidence that drilling in the area will result in the windfall revenue that Republicans hope for.
“This dangerously aggressive and unrealistic timeline is a blatant attempt to tip the scales in favor of their friends. But the administration’s unprecedented rollback of protections for the Arctic won’t stand the rigors of a fair Environmental Impact Assessment. This move will be challenged in court, and we will keep holding the administration’s feet to the fire in every way we can. Americans fought off the robber barons 100 years ago to protect our public lands, and we’ll do it again.”
