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The steps by the Interior Department are aligned with President
Joe Biden's goal to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters as
part of his climate change agenda.
In a statement, Interior said it had finalized its rejection of
a 211-mile (340 km) road intended to enable mine development in
north central Alaska. The agency first said it would reject the
project in April, citing risks to caribou and fish populations
that native communities rely on for subsistence.
Interior also signaled that it would not allow development on 28
million acres (11 million hectares) of land in Alaska, reversing
an effort by former President Donald Trump's administration to
strip them of protections in the final days of his presidency.
Biden's Interior put the Trump decision on hold so it could seek
public comment and analyze the impact of opening the area to
mining or oil and gas development.
The final environmental analysis, published on Friday, found
that allowing development would harm subsistence hunting and
fishing in up to 117 native communities. A final decision by
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland can be made 30 days after the
release of the environmental review.
"Today, my Administration is stopping a 211-mile road from
carving up a pristine area that Alaska Native communities rely
on, in addition to steps we are taking to maintain protections
on 28 million acres in Alaska from mining and drilling," Biden
said in a statement. "These natural wonders demand our
protection."
Most of the protected 28 million acres are able to be selected
by eligible Alaska veterans of the Vietnam War for 160-acre
allotments under a policy the administration unveiled in 2022.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom)
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