Featured image by Keri Oberly: Aerial view of part of the proposed Ambler road corridor, in the eastern Brooks Range.
Republicans in the House narrowly passed their budget reconciliation bill yesterday, and there are a couple of bright spots. Requirements for oil and gas leases in the Western Arctic’s National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and permitting for the proposed Ambler Road were both removed from the bill.
Thank you to everyone who contacted their representatives, House leadership, and House Natural Resources Committee members. The unwavering efforts of Indigenous leadership and the Defend Brooks Range/No Ambler Road campaign have shown time and time again that Alaskans (and Americans at large) do NOT want the Ambler Road.
And a big thank you to everyone who has spoken up for the Western Arctic’s Special Areas—nearly 300,000 people commented in 2023 and 2024 while the Biden administration worked to establish new protections for the region.
Public land giveaways in the Lower 48 were also taken out, but unfortunately the House budget package is still filled with terrible provisions too, like mandates for harmful oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
It’s also important not to lose track of the Trump administration’s planned cuts and new requirements for social programs that thousands of Alaskans rely on, like SNAP food benefits and Medicaid. Proposed cuts to these essential services are once again largely to pay for tax cuts for corporations and the ultra-wealthy.
Call your representatives with straightforward talking points about protecting public lands and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with 5 Calls, and sign on to protect the Arctic.
