10/22/2024

The Arctic Wildlife Refuge

What to do to protect one of America's last wild places

Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ranks as one of the wildest places on Earth. In the winter, it's a haven for some of the last polar bears that traverse land and sea. In the summer, millions of birds descend to build their nests and gather fuel for their journey south.

People have fought over this expanse, as large as South Carolina, for 50 years.

The battle pits many Alaskans, along with the oil industry and Republican officials, against environmentalists, most Democrats and many wildlife scientists. The question of who gets to determine its fate — and whether to dig up the oil and gas that lie beneath it — could be decided this fall.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.