With Gardner’s Support, Trump Opens Up “Pristine” Arctic National Wildlife Refuge To Drilling
Gardner voted to open the largest wilderness area in the United States to drilling after 40 years of protection
Denver, CO - After Senator Cory Gardner voted to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to big polluters, the Trump administration today officially announced that drilling will begin in the nation’s largest wilderness area, despite its devastating environmental repercussions. In 2017, Gardner voted to give the Trump Administration the green light to open the refuge to drilling, a drastic move that has been opposed by actual environmentalists since the Reagan Administration with irreversible consequences to our air, water, and land.
President Trump and Gardner’s have made it their mission to prop up polluters and crusade against commonsense protections for our air, lands and water. Opening up the 19 million acres of wilderness jeopardizes the “pristine” landscapes and wildlife and accelerates the detrimental effects of climate change. This is one of many votes that earned Gardner a spot on LCV’s “Dirty Dozen” list.
This latest attack comes just days after as Trump said he’d withdraw William Perry Pendley’s nomination to head up the Bureau of Land Management but let him stay in charge -- so Gardner doesn’t have to take a vote and can remain deafeningly silent as Trump continues to attack our environment and public lands. Gardner “did not respond to follow-up questions from E&E News regarding whether Gardner supports Pendley remaining in charge of BLM.”
Colorado Democratic Party spokesperson Eli Rosen:
“Senator Gardner voted to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling for the first time in history, which will undoubtedly have catastrophic impacts on our environment, wildlife, and efforts to combat climate change. We all have a responsibility to leave our planet in a sustainable state for future generations, but Trump and Gardner are only making that harder with their reckless attacks on our environment. Make no mistake, Senator Gardner and President Trump are in lockstep in their crusade against our environment.”
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