Environmental Groups Warn:
"Protected Areas Will Be Severely Damaged"
The Donald Trump administration in the United States has moved to ease regulations related to the development of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Alaska.
According to the Washington Post (WP) and others on the 20th (local time), the U.S. Department of the Interior announced plans to lift regulations related to Alaska LNG development and expand the area where oil drilling is permitted.
The Department of the Interior stated that it plans to transfer federal land to the state of Alaska to support the construction of LNG pipelines for export to Asia and roads necessary for the development of copper and zinc mines in northern Alaska.
President Trump said in a congressional speech on the 4th, "We are building the world's largest natural gas pipeline in Alaska," adding, "Japan, South Korea, and other countries want to be our partners."
Minister Ahn Deok-geun of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is reported to be scheduled to meet with Mike Dunleavy, Governor of Alaska, who will visit South Korea next week, to discuss the Alaska LNG project.
The previous Biden administration had blocked land transfers for the construction of a 340-kilometer industrial road crossing national parks and nature reserves, and this move also signifies an intention to overturn that. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced that 82% of the 23 million acres of the Alaska National Petroleum Reserve (NPR-A) will be leased for oil and gas development.
There are also plans to revive a program allowing drilling on 1.56 million acres of coastal plain within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Secretary Burgum said, "Now is the time to utilize Alaska's abundant but largely undeveloped resources for America's prosperity," adding, "For too long, the federal government has placed excessive barriers to harnessing Alaska's energy potential." The Department of the Interior explained that this is the first step to implement an executive order signed by President Trump on his first day in office that reversed former President Biden's restrictions on Alaska development.
In Alaska, there has been conflict for decades between natural resource development and environmental protection. President Trump, chanting "Drill baby drill," aims to alleviate inflationary pressures by increasing domestic oil and gas production.
However, environmental groups have voiced criticism of the Department of the Interior's policy. A representative from the Natural Resources Defense Council said that oil drilling and land leasing for it would severely damage protected areas, stating, "The protected areas are home to countless wildlife."
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