<div style='margin:1.6rem 0px 3.2rem; padding:0px; box-sizing:border-box; font-family:&quot;Avenir Next&quot;, sans-serif;'>The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most majestic places left in the United States, if not the world. But despite decades of protections, the Trump administration has decided to push forward with opening the refuge to oil and gas development, an endeavor that would permanently change the unspoiled nature of this beautiful land.<br /><br />Specifically, the Trump administration and its oil company friends are fast tracking oil and gas development on the coastal plain of the refuge, an area critical to the famed Porcupine Caribou Herd.<br /><br />In the absence of credible facts to support the administration's claim that drilling would have little impact, we consulted with experts to discover the true footprint of oil and gas development. The result is the multimedia narrative before you, including seven maps that show how the impacts of drilling will be far more consequential than the Trump administration wants us to believe.<br /><br />Development would not only scar and pollute this untamed landscape, it would displace wildlife populations and harm the Indigenous communities of Alaska and Canada who depend on the refuge to sustain themselves. </div>

The real impact of drilling in the Arctic Refuge—in 7 maps

It also represents a human rights violation against Indigenous people who are deeply linked to this land.

The development scenario represents what the extent of facilities could look like at any single point in time, based on the BLM's flawed interpretation. However, the physical footprint may be much larger over time because the FEIS allows corporations to reclaim acreage of abandoned sites. Once a drilling pad is no longer economically productive, corporations need only plug the wells and remove related infrastructure, including roads. The affected acreage then would no longer be counted against footprint restrictions, allowing more development at new sites (FEIS section B.7.5). Given the BLM's interpretation for reclaiming acreage, the physical footprint of oil and gas development in the Arctic Refuge could far exceed 2,000 acres.

The number of facilities as well as the approximate locations of the four central processing facilities are consistent with what the BLM has outlined in its FEIS (Table B-5, Alternative B - preferred alternative).

Despite what pro-drilling politicians and corporations want the public to believe, industrial development in the refuge is a clear threat to wildlife and the integrity of this vast, beautiful landscape where the rhythms of nature still reign supreme.

Under the administration’s proposal, caribou could be displaced from much of the coastal plain, all within areas critical to calving and raising their young.

Below is a bird's eye view of the coastal plain as it is now: beautiful, undeveloped and intact. Outlined in yellow is the area where drilling could occur—an area approximately 100 miles wide.

We can't let risky development imperil the future of the Porcupine Caribou Herd or the people who rely on them.

Development would not only scar and pollute this untamed landscape, it would displace wildlife populations and harm the Indigenous communities of Alaska and Canada who depend on the refuge to sustain themselves.&nbsp;

The Trump administration downplays the potential impacts of drilling, claiming that development would be limited to a footprint of 2,000 acres.&nbsp;That’s about three square miles. But what they don't tell you is that this acreage would sprawl throughout most of the coastal plain, creating extensive spiderwebs of roads and infrastructure through some of its most sensitive habitat.&nbsp;Development would also be accompanied by seismic operations that would negatively affect polar bears; disturbance of bowhead whales from oil and gas vessels operating near the region in Kaktovik; and extensive use of water that would harm fish. 

Their answer? Shown on the map below, an expansive network of roads, pipelines, and drilling facilities cutting across the coastal plain. Such a configuration could create a barrier to migrating caribou who come here every summer to give birth to their young and seek relief from insects.

Any displacement is a concern because the coastal plain and foothills used for calving in the Arctic Refuge are much narrower than elsewhere across northern Alaska, leaving few options for Arctic Refuge caribou if they’re forced to move.

Development could have disastrous effects for the Gwich'in as their source of food dwindles and their way of life is directly assaulted. In a place where a full 70 percent of food comes from caribou and milk can cost upwards of $8 a gallon, it's especially important to prevent drilling from destroying a primary food supply. 

After giving birth and raising their young on the coastal plain, the caribou then embark on the largest overland migration in the world. They spend the rest of the year in and near the traditional homelands of the Gwich'in, who call themselves "Caribou people" and rely on the caribou for their physical and spiritual survival.&nbsp;

Specifically, the Trump administration and its oil company friends are fast tracking oil and gas development on the coastal plain of the refuge, an area critical to the famed Porcupine Caribou Herd.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 stipulates that oil and gas facilities in the Refuge may cover up to 2,000 surface acres (Public Law 115-97, § 20001(c)(3)). The development scenario we have presented is consistent with the BLM's interpretation of this footprint limitation.

Every year the Porcupine Caribou Herd migrates to the coastal plain in May and June to give birth to their calves. They face fewer predators there, and the coastal plain has the nutritious food they need in order to replenish their bodies for  migration and a long winter.

In the absence of credible facts to support the administration's claim that drilling would have little impact, we consulted with experts to discover the true footprint of oil and gas development. The result is the multimedia narrative before you, including seven maps that show how the impacts of drilling will be far more consequential than the Trump administration wants us to believe.

Conceived by experts familiar with North Slope oil development, this configuration of facilities is based on the FEIS, state-of-the-art drilling technology, what little is known about where oil deposits are located, terrain and water body locations, and practical considerations of operating in the Arctic.

(What the Trump administration isn't telling you)

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most majestic places left in the United States, if not the world. But despite decades of protections, the Trump administration has decided to push forward with opening the refuge to oil and gas development, an endeavor that would permanently change the unspoiled nature of this beautiful land.

After giving birth, the caribou continue onto the coast in search of wind and ice that keeps the insects away. More than just a relief from nuisance, this is critical to their survival: insects can actually kill a young caribou calf.

The map below shows how the area proposed for oil and gas leasing overlaps with the calving areas for both the Porcupine herd as well as the nearby Central Arctic herd (shown in orange and pink shading, respectively).

The time to stop oil and gas development from destroying the Arctic Refuge is now.

The development scenario presented earlier in this piece shows how oil and gas facilities could realistically be configured on the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge under the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/planAndProjectSite.do?methodName=dispatchToPatternPage&amp;currentPageId=152110" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Final Environmental Impact Statement</a> (FEIS).

When the Trump administration failed to produce a map of what development would look like, we consulted experts to find out how facilities would likely be configured under the 2,000 acre footprint limit, taking into account state-of-the-art drilling technology and what little is known about where oil deposits are located.