Groups favouring offshore oil and gas drilling in Alaskan waters on Monday launched a television advertising blitz in the Washington DC area, putting the case for maintaining Arctic leasing areas.
Styling themselves as the Arctic Coalition, they are motivated by concerns that environmentalists could succeed in their efforts to have all drilling in the area stopped.
The more than 20 groups in the coalition include labour unions, Native Alaskan communities, industry and business groups and others.
They want to ensure the Department of Interior’s draft program for leasing – which includes lease options on the Beaufort Sea in 2020 and the Chukchi Sea in 2022 – remains intact because oil and gas play important roles in Alaska’s development.
