Arctic Refuge Turns 60! Bank of America Says It Won’t Finance Oil and Gas Exploration
Today, we celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the creation of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge has been under threat of drilling by the current administration, but we recently received a major win in the fight to protect this biodiversity-rich region.
After facing opposition from environmentalists, Bank of America has publicly pledged to not provide funding for oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It is the last of the five major US banks to update their policy to formally rule out financing for the project.
Earlier this year, Washington Wild signed onto a national letter opposing drilling in the Arctic Refuge. We’re continuing to advocate for this issue locally by coordinating a letter with Washington-based signers to join the national opposition. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge would be a violation of the Gwich’in Nation’s rights and would pose a grave threat to climate change.
