Dear NRDC Activist,

28 million.

That’s the number of acres of pristine, protected public lands that the Biden administration’s Bureau of Land Management is facing a decision on opening to destructive industrial development like mining and oil and gas drilling.

The agency is inviting public comments on this dangerous proposal – but only for a few more days. We must generate as many messages as possible to compel the Bureau of Land Management to keep these lands protected.

Make your voice heard by February 14 to keep Alaskan public lands protected from dirty industrial development like oil and gas drilling.

Some of the largest intact landscapes left in the U.S. are in Alaska, home to Indigenous communities and providing habitat and refuge for caribou, moose, bears, all five species of Pacific salmon, migratory birds, and countless other wildlife. These treasured lands support communities, cultural resources, subsistence resources, and recreation like hunting and fishing. And they’re at the forefront of the climate crisis.

These lands had been off-limits to industry for decades – but the Trump administration proposed using D-1 policy to hand over, without public comment, tens of millions of acres of public land.

These lands remain under threat.

An additional last-minute giveaway attempt by the Trump administration prepared, but never finalized, Public Land Orders that sought to lift protections for 28 million acres of public lands that would serve dangerous extractive industries. Saddled with a Trump era policy, the decision is now in the hands of President Biden’s Bureau of Land Management.

We can’t let these vital protections be lifted – send a message to the Biden administration now.

If these lands lose protection, it will open sensitive areas like land in Bristol Bay where we’re already fighting to stop the Pebble Mine and other proposed mining projects. The Bristol Bay watershed alone supplies more than half the world’s sockeye salmon, and the fishery supports 15,000 jobs and generates $2.2 billion annually. Lifting protections would jeopardize the cultural and economic lifeblood of Tribes, commercial fishers, and communities.

Plus, lifting protections for these public lands will jeopardize protections for other fragile lands, such as sensitive boreal forests in central Alaska that are a natural climate solution.

Help us keep Alaska’s pristine lands off-limits for good – before it’s too late. Submit a comment by February 14.

Sincerely,

Taryn Kiekow Heimer
Director, Ocean Energy, Nature Program, NRDC