Trump Reopens Oil Drilling Alaska Arctic Wildlife Refuge

[somsai]

2. No drilling is allowed on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

and no drilling will ever occur on it. To drill on ANWR congress would need to change the designation such that it's no longer a refuge.

What they want to do, or get permission to do, just in case, is drill on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and you can probably tell by the name that the place was intended to be for oil. Not to say it isn't gorgeous untouched small W wilderness, I'm sure it is though I've never been there.

I have been to the 1.56 million acres under discussion though. It's called area 1002. I spent the winter of 89/90 walking up and down beside the Canning River which forms the western boundary of area 1002. There is one small village in area 1002 and they dream of finally someone drilling there, they are Inuit, not Indian, and they make all their revenue off oil.

Area 1002 was a carve out to allow oil extraction. It's gorgeous of course but I've never seen a part of arctic Alaska that wasn't ungodly gorgeous.

Despite permitting I doubt either place will ever be developed.