Alaska: The Trump administration on Thursday announced a series of steps to open up Alaska n wilderness to energy and infrastructure development, including by allowing oil and gas drilling in the remote Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The administration has announced a string of policy swings involving the sprawling refuge for polar bears, Porcupine caribou, migratory birds and other species.

Drilling in the pristine region has long been a source of friction between Alaska lawmakers and tribal corporations, who prioritize jobs and revenue, and conservationists who want to preserve the local ecosystem. Show Full Article

The Interior Department said in a statement that it will reopen the full 1.56-million-acre (0.6-million-hectare) Coastal Plain of the ANWR to leasing, reversing

See Full Page