The Biden administration moved Friday to protect 28 million acres of public lands in Alaska from oil and gas drilling, mining and other industrial activities that could threaten Alaska Native communities, vulnerable wildlife and pristine ecosystems. In a final environmental impact statement released Friday, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management outlined several options for managing 28 million acres of public property across Alaska. “Today, my Administration is stopping a 211-mile road from carving up a pristine area that Alaska Native communities rely on, in addition to steps we are taking to maintain protections on 28 million acres in Alaska from mining and drilling,” Biden said in a statement. “These natural wonders demand our protection.”The 28 million acres under consideration stretch across five regions in Alaska, including the Bristol Bay watershed, one of the world’s biggest salmon spawning grounds. In 1971, Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, which directed Interior to transfer millions of acres of land to Alaska Native corporations and villages.

Source: Washington Post June 28, 2024 16:33 UTC