Trump administration finalizes plan to open pristine Alaska wildlife refuge to oil and gas drilling

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday finalized a plan to open the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling, renewing long-simmering debate over whether to drill in one of the nation’s most sensitive wilderness areas.

The plan fulfills a promise by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to open this portion of the refuge to possible development. The massive GOP bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, passed during the summer, called for at least four lease sales within the refuge over a 10-year period.