The Gwich’in Steering Committee welcomes the cancellation of AIDEA’s leases to develop oil and gas on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge – land sacred to the Gwich’in and the birthing grounds to the Porcupine Caribou Herd.

The Arctic region of Alaska boasts vast landscapes that are home to thousands of species of wildlife. Indigenous people have lived on this land for centuries, relying on caribou and other animals for food, clothing and spiritual connection.

20 insurers now have a policy that protects Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit (“The Sacred Place Where Life Begins”) from oil and gas development.

The Western Arctic Reserve is home to arctic animals and indigenous communities whose relationship with their caribou neighbors spans thousands of years. Soon, courtesy of ConocoPhillips’ Willow Project, the area will also produce up to 576 million barrels of oil and 239 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over 30 years.

Thrust into the news when President Biden approved the Willow project, the NPR-A or Western Arctic is actually larger than its eastern and more well-known neighbor the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. President Biden’s Department of the Interior announced in March 2023 that his administration will take steps to protect this area.

Chubb insurance company officially signed a new policy prohibiting the underwriting of oil and gas extraction projects in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (as well as other government-protected conservation areas).

Oil companies are increasingly rejecting the idea of drilling in the Arctic Refuge – the largest wildlife refuge in America, as they confront public opposition as well as major banks and global insurance companies staking out positions against financing or underwriting any development in the Porcupine Caribou Herd calving grounds.

At the end of January 2023, over 50 members of the Arctic Refuge Defense Campaign gathered in Washington, D.C. for a three-day strategy meeting in which we discussed how to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from drilling in the current political landscape.

There are no more oil companies with leases in the Arctic National Wildlife refuge. And Knik Arm Services is out, too. That leaves AIDEA as the sole leaseholder.

It’s important to remember that what happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic. While melting sea ice causes coastal communities to collapse into Arctic seas, rising sea levels will eventually inundate cities around the world and could destabilize ocean currents and weather patterns.

There are no more oil companies with leases in the Arctic National Wildlife refuge. And Knik Arm Services is out, too. That leaves AIDEA as the sole leaseholder.

It’s time to undo the 1980 “study area” designation and include the coastal plain in the wilderness area. The Arctic Refuge Protection Act was introduced earlier this year with 85 co-sponsors. To safeguard the coastal plan, we need more support in Congress.