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However, neither Biden nor Congress has heeded calls from Indigenous and climate leaders who want to protect the refuge from fossil fuel development that would endanger local wildlife, sacred land, and the warming planet.
is recognizing what others have been saying for years: High-risk drilling for Arctic oil on land that is sacred to Indigenous people is bad business."sent to shareholders last week ahead of the May 31 annual meeting. The company's board of directors urged shareholders to vote against a Green Century Capital Management proposal that would require a new report on the pros and cons of not engaging in oil and gas exploration and production in the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program region, particularly within the refuge. Explaining its opposition to the proposal, ExxonMobil's board called the Green Century Capital Management's motives "disingenuous" and argued that its existing reporting is sufficient. The board also highlighted that "ExxonMobil does not hold any active leases and is not pursuing any active developments within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ." Additionally, the board said, "our current investment plans do not include exploration activity within the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program region, and we plan relatively limited investment to sustain our existing interests in the region." Noting that ExxonMobil's statement comes after "Chevron, Hilcorp, and 88 Energy canceled their Arctic Refuge leases last year," Environment America Public Lands campaign director Ellen Montgomery urged Congress and the Biden administration "to act to permanently protect this special place." Karlin Itchoak, Alaska regional director for the Wilderness Society, similarly said that "ExxonMobil is recognizing what others have been saying for years: High-risk drilling for Arctic oil on land that is sacred to Indigenous people is bad business." "The calving ground of the porcupine caribou herd is not only a beautiful, wild place that is worthy of protection. It is vital to the food security and cultural survival of local communities," Itchoak added. "Other industry leaders should follow ExxonMobil's example, and Congress must act to protect for future generations." ;“"ExxonMobil;’s announcement is another strong indication that major oil companies view drilling in the Arctic Refuge as a bad investment, and an indication that a 2024 Arctic Refuge lease sale... would be as big a failure as the first."\n\nhttps://t.co/GoXOQkUFpL;�rnadette Demientieff, executive director of the Gwich'in Steering Committee, also urged "all companies—and their investors—to reject development in ecologically sensitive and biologically rich areas that would threaten lands, water, wildlife and a way of life for the Indigenous peoples that have occupied these lands for thousands of years—including Iizhik Gwats'an Gwandaii Goodlit ." "Many of these are not only important to protect for our future generations but are sacred to the people who have cared for these lands since time immemorial," Demientieff added. "Companies or money cannot divide our people from our lands that are sacred. We are asking for ExxonMobil and all companies to respect our rights, including our right to free, prior, and informed consent." While acknowledging that ExxonMobil's current position "addresses the concerns of the Gwich'in," First Peoples Worldwide executive director Kate Finn stressed that "without a comprehensive policy to operationalize free, prior, and informed consent, companies remain exposed to economic and legal risks that come from a failure to respect Indigenous peoples' rights." Kristen Miller, executive director of Alaska Wilderness League, also welcomed ExxonMobil's move and pointed out that it "fits with the larger trend," before highlighting other fights related to climate-wrecking fossil fuel development. "Exxon's response to this shareholder resolution demonstrates clearly that big corporations have read the handwriting on the wall. Arctic oil extraction isn't worth the risks," said Miller. "We now look to ConocoPhillips, which has yet to make a final investment decision on theThe Biden administration came under fire last month for greenlighting the 30-year Willow project, which green groups are
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