Trump calls the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 'one of the great oil sites'
President Trump held his first Cabinet meeting of 2018 on Wednesday and in addition to welcoming the press "back to the studio" and claiming his "performance" at the DACA meeting "got great reviews," he had a strange way of describing the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
The comment came while Trump was praising the Republican tax overhaul, which passed in December. "In addition to the largest tax cut and reform in history, we have one of the great oil sites that's now been approved," he said. "They've been trying to approve ANWR [for drilling], I don't know if people know this, for 40 years."
The GOP tax legislation opened up ANWR for drilling, a measure that was added in part to earn the support of Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R). "We fought long to authorize a program for energy development in Alaska’s nonwilderness 1002 area," she said ahead of the vote, using the term for the region in the refuge that will be drilled.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Democrats have heavily criticized the plan, with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) tweeting that "the Arctic Wildlife Refuge is too important and too pristine to turn into an oil field." In addition to being "one of the great oil sites," the 19.6-million acre refuge is home to Porcupine caribou, polar bears, and "millions of migratory birds," The Seattle Times reports. Watch Trump's comments below, beginning around the 1:03 mark. Jeva Lange
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Alaska faces earth-shaking loss as seismic monitoring stations shutterIN THE SPOTLIGHT NOAA cuts have left the western seaboard without a crucial resource to measure, understand and predict tsunamis
-
10 great advent calendars for everyone (including the dog)The Week Recommends Countdown with cocktails, jams and Legos
-
How could worsening consumer sentiment affect the economy?Today’s Big Question Sentiment dropped this month to a near-record low
-
Trump pardons 2020 fake electors, other GOP alliesSpeed Read The president pardoned Rudy Giuliani and more who tried to overturn his 2020 election loss
-
Supreme Court to decide on mail-in ballot limitsSpeed Read The court will determine whether states can count mail-in ballots received after Election Day
-
Democrats split as Senate votes to end shutdownSpeed Read The proposed deal does not extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, the Democrats’ main demand
-
USDA orders states to ‘undo’ full SNAP paymentsSpeed Read The Trump administration is telling states not to pay full November food stamp benefits
-
Senate takes first step to end record shutdownSpeed Read Eight senators in the Democratic caucus voted with Republicans to advance legislation to reopen the government
-
Has Zohran Mamdani shown the Democrats how to win again?Today’s Big Question New York City mayoral election touted as victory for left-wing populists but moderate centrist wins elsewhere present more complex path for Democratic Party
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
