Despite four years of intense arm-twisting by political players and industry insiders to put drilling rigs on the sacred calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, there are no rigs. Protected areas in the western Arctic also remain mostly unscathed, despite hasty attempts to push project and management plan approvals through processes devoid of scientific integrity or compliance with the law.… Read More

We got good news when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted our motion for an emergency order stopping blasting, gravel mining, and road construction on the ConocoPhillips’ Willow project. On-the-ground construction would do real and immediate harm.… Read More

Many of us feel a palpable sense of relief right now. We just transitioned from an administration that made name-calling and bullying the centerpiece of its legacy to one that is putting science, racial justice, and Tribal sovereignty front and … Read More

We went to court in December to stop ConocoPhillips from doing road building, blasting, and gravel mining as part of its Willow project in the western Arctic’s National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. A lot has changed since then, but not the project’s … Read More

We’re taking the Interior Department, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to court for unlawfully and prematurely authorizing the ConocoPhillips Willow Master Plan despite its known harms to people and wildlife. BLM approved the Willow proposal in late October, despite the lack of a permit application and despite serious concerns from the public about the agency rushing the public process during a pandemic. … Read More

A couple of weeks ago I had to take my dog to the vet. While waiting in the car for my turn to pass him to the vet tech, I noticed the long line of cars at the fast food … Read More

As communities shut down and all Alaskans hunker down to stop the spread of the coronavirus and protect the health and lives of everyone, the Bureau of Land Management opened a public comment period for a massive industrial project. Yes, you heard that right. As Alaskans lost their incomes, closed businesses, cancelled needed medical procedures, started schooling at home, and faced travel restrictions that kept them from their families, BLM pushed forward the public comment period on a supplemental draft Environmental Impact Statement for a giant carbon-polluting fossil fuel project.… Read More

When people use the phrase “for the birds,” they trivialize what they consider unimportant, but there’s a reason we talk about the canary in the coal mine. What happens to the birds happens to us. We cannot untangle our health … Read More

Two projects – the Ambler road and the Willow oil and gas extraction proposals – would dramatically diminish the health of Arctic communities, wildlife, and natural places. The public comment periods for both projects’ draft environmental impact statements end Oct. … Read More