Trump auctions Arctic to oil drillers

In one of the final acts of his administration, Donald Trump has opened bidding on drilling leases in a pristine Arctic wildlife refuge in Alaska, rushing to lock up deals before President-elect Joe Biden takes office


ARCTIC OCEAN
Beaufort Sea
RUSSIA
ALASKA
Anchorage
U.S.
CANADA
Bering Sea

PACIFIC OCEAN
500km 310 miles


Coastal Plain: U.S. Bureau of Land Management is selling 10-year leases on 22 tracts of land covering 4,000 sq km

Prudhoe Bay oil fields
Trans- Alaska Pipeline
Native lands
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) 78,000 sq km
BROOKS RANGE
ALASKA
U.S. 
CANADA
100km 60 miles


Coastal plain is estimated to contain up to 11.8 billion barrels of recoverable oil reserves

Environmental and tribal groups say sale will cause irreparable damage to tundra ecosystem vital to polar bears, caribou, and other wildlife


Sources: AP, Reuters, USGS 
Picture: Newscom 
© GRAPHIC NEWS