Outcry from Gwich’in leaders over potential oil and gas drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge – CBC
Oct 27, 2025
“There aren’t many places like this left in the world,” Vuntut Gwitchin chief says
On Thursday, the Trump administration announced it would be opening up the entire coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas leasing — the latest blow in a battle that’s been fought over the area for decades.
That news has been met with alarm from Gwich’in leaders, environmentalists and biologists who say the area is an irreplaceable and pristine haven for arctic animals.
Local Iñupiat leaders in Alaska, meanwhile, are unanimously expressing support for the decision.
