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Trump Alarms Environmentalists by Proposing Massive Arctic Drilling Expansion

In a move that has horrified environmental advocates, Donald Trump is pushing to open up an astonishing 13 million acres of federally owned Arctic land for oil and gas drilling. It’s yet another massive giveaway to the fossil fuel industry—this time at the direct expense of one of the most fragile ecosystems on Earth.

The land, part of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, had been shielded from drilling under protections implemented by President Biden. But Trump, who still calls climate change a “Chinese hoax,” appears determined to reverse every measure aimed at environmental sustainability.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum—a multi-millionaire who won’t be feeling the effects of climate change from his well-insulated corner of the world—defended the decision with typical MAGA spin.

“The 2024 rule ignored the mandate of the Petroleum Reserve,” Burgum claimed. “We’re restoring balance and putting our energy future back on track.”

What this “restoration” really means is opening the door for more destructive fossil fuel extraction, risking the habitats of polar bears, grizzlies, caribou, migratory birds, and Indigenous communities who live off the land. Biden’s protections were backed by scientists and environmental experts—Trump’s reversal is backed by oil executives.

This tragic outcome was sadly predictable. Back in 2020, Trump was caught meeting privately with oil industry leaders at Mar-a-Lago, offering them a deal: donate $1 billion to help him return to power, and they’d get what they wanted. Now, with this proposed Arctic giveaway, that deal is becoming reality.

Short-term profits for a few billionaires. Long-term devastation for the planet. That’s the MAGA energy plan.