Trump’s under-the-radar Alaska order has environmentalists on edge

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/03/business/trump-alaska-executive-order-environment/index.html

by nick313

5 comments

  1. It’s a really long article behind a paywall, so here’s the jist:

    Trump signed an executive order to expand drilling and mining in Alaska, reversing a Biden-era decision that had stopped a big mining project called Ambler Road. This road would cut through untouched Alaskan wilderness to allow mining companies to extract critical minerals like cobalt, which are needed for things like electric car batteries and military tech.

    Why Some Support It:
    • Alaska’s government and businesses want the jobs and economic boost.
    • The U.S. relies heavily on other countries (like China & the Democratic Republic of Congo) for these minerals, so mining domestically could improve national security.

    Why Some Oppose It:
    • The road would cut through untouched wilderness, affecting wildlife like caribou, which Indigenous communities rely on for food.
    • Some Indigenous groups worry the development would harm their culture and way of life.
    • Environmentalists warn of pollution and long-term damage to the land and water.

  2. **Average people can reach out to their elected officials — the phone number for Congress is 202-224-3121 — and raise absolute holy hell.**

  4. No roads. Giant spider bots the size of 20 trains slowing walk through the wilderness. Carefully stepping to avoid any disturbance.

  5. Under the radar? This was posted on the White House website on day one. It’s despicable but if that is considered ‘under the radar’ nowadays the journalistic bar in the US is not just lower than I thought, it’s practically non existent.

    https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-alaskas-extraordinary-resource-potential/

    It’s probably worse than described by another commenter here, turning Alaska into a natural resource extraction free-for-all.

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