For Immediate Release – October 23, 2025
Fairbanks, AK – Today, Secretary Doug Burgum announced the repeal of a Record of Decision (ROD) for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge leasing program issued by the previous administration. He also announced that the Department of the Interior will be opening the entire Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge to oil and gas development. The Gwichi’n Nation strongly condemns this action and stands united against any effort to destroy the calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou herd.
During today’s announcement, Secretary Burgum claimed that the Department of the Interior is opening the Coastal Plain for the benefit of Northern communities, yet, no one from this administration has reached out to the Gwich’in subsistence communities that rely on the Porcupine Caribou herd to listen to how this would affect our livelihood. This is yet another disrespectful action from decision-makers that ignores the voice of the Gwich’in and violates our rights as Indigenous people.
The Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge is sacred to the Gwich’in. We call it Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit, which means “the sacred place where life begins” in our language. It is the critical calving and nursery grounds of the Porcupine Caribou herd, which are essential to the nutritional, cultural, and spiritual needs of the Gwich’in Nation. We have been fighting to protect the calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou herd for decades. We know that any development in the Arctic Refuge would negatively affect their health and migration routes. Our traditional Indigenous knowledge tells us that oil and gas drilling on the Coastal Plain would destroy the caribou calving grounds, devastating the animals and, in turn, the Gwich’in people.
“This action by the Trump administration is a direct attack on the Gwich’in, who have for decades been a voice for the caribou and stood against the destruction of the Arctic Refuge. A leasing program that would open the entire Coastal Plain completely ignores the impacts that oil and gas development would have on the land, on wildlife, and on our communities,” shared Kristen Moreland, executive director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee. “We condemn these efforts by the Trump administration to exploit the calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou herd for short-term gain, and we know that we are not alone. We will continue to raise our voices and fight for the protection of this sacred land and for our way of life.”
“The repeal of the Biden-era Record of Decision for the Arctic Leasing Program, and the move to open over 1.56 million acres of public land for auction has the potential to cause irreparable damage to the Gwich’in way of life,” said Galen Gilbert, First Chief of Arctic Village Council. “This decision directly contradicts years of Gwich’in engagement and advocacy that makes clear any drilling on this land would cause irrevocable harm to the Gwich’in and our way of life. Though we are disheartened, it has only strengthened our resolve as Gwich’in to continue to protect the land that has sustained us since time immemorial.”
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For Media Inquiries:
Genae Lako, 303-918-6290
Kristen Moreland, Executive Director, 907-328-9634