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Statement from the Ohio Environmental Council on the FY2018 House Budget Opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to Drilling

In its just-released Fiscal Year 2018 budget resolution, the U.S. House of Representatives today included instructions that would enable the House Natural Resources Committee to authorize drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge through the federal budget process. The following statement can be attributed in full, or in part, to Nathan Johnson, Public Lands Director for the Ohio Environmental Council:

“The budget put forth by the House of Representatives unfortunately echoes President Trump’s plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas development.

“The beauty and natural integrity of the Arctic Refuge must be protected for current and future generations of citizens, as well as the imperiled wildlife that call it home. We call on Senators Portman and Brown to vote against any version of the budget bill that allows drilling in the Refuge.The House provision encourages the destruction of one of the wildest and most pristine places in America, and has no place in the budget process. At the very least, a decision of this magnitude deserves to be debated and voted on as its own piece of legislation. Inclusion of this provision in the budget process is a backdoor favor for the oil and gas industry that comes at the expense of the American people.”