Trump administration will propose finding no new, significant environmental impacts of Arctic oil testing plan

The Trump administration will propose a finding that bolsters a plan by a company to test for oil, stating that the plan wouldn’t cause new and significant impacts to a wildlife refuge in Alaska.  

The Bureau of Land Management on Wednesday will formally propose a draft finding that a seismic testing plan won’t have a new, significant impact on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). 

Seismic testing uses acoustic waves that bounce off formations beneath the surface, generating images that help detect oil deposits. 

This type of surveying can cause damage to tundra vegetation and soils. 

The testing in question was proposed for this winter by the Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation. The corporation’s proposal, published in October, said that it would cover 450,592 acres of federally managed lands, including an area where polar bears and other wildlife may be found. 

However, the new proposed finding only covers about 260,416 acres of federally managed lands, which would represent a significant reduction from the original proposal. 

The administration found that the seismic testing “would not have any new significant effects on the quality of the human environment” when compared to “the impacts associated with seismic activities” that were analyzed as part of an environmental impact statement used to open up the area for leasing.

Environmental groups have challenged that statement, from last year, in court.    

A new environmental analysis backing this week’s proposal said that the testing could still impact polar bears. The government also recently proposed allowing the “harassment” of the creatures during seismic testing. 

The assessment also listed potential impacts to cultural resources, soils and hunting for food such as caribou.

Critics characterized the proposed determination as potentially harmful and premature. 

“Allowing seismic testing to occur now would do severe and permanent damage to this sensitive wilderness before a single drill rig has even been permitted,” Sierra Club Senior Campaign Representative Mike Scott said in a statement. 

The proposal comes as the Trump administration is moving closer to holding a lease sale at the refuge, with companies required to submit their bids for parcels of land by the end of this year.