Oil Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

In responding to questions from Congress on the impact of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton reversed data provided to her by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientists.

Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton has been a strong supporter of the Bush Administration’s efforts to expand oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).[1] In July 2001, Secretary Norton provided information to Congress that distorted her agency’s scientific opinion on how such drilling would affect the region’s caribou population.

In response to a series of questions from Alaska Senator Frank Murkowski, Secretary Norton wrote to Congress, “I believe that we can ensure that any exploration and development of the oil and natural gas reserves in the 1002 Area of ANWR can be conducted in a manner that is protective of the environment and minimizes impacts on wildlife in the area.”[2]

In her answers, however, Secretary Norton suppressed science produced by biologists within her own agency about ANWR’s caribou. The Washington Post reported that scientists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wrote, and five offices within the Interior Department approved, a draft response to Sen. Murkowski’s questions.[3] Agency data indicated that calving occurred primarily inside area 1002 for 11 of the past 18 years,[4] but Secretary Norton’s final response said that calving occurred primarily outside the area for 11 of the past 18 years.[5]

Secretary Norton also deleted scientific data indicating that drilling might adversely impact the caribou. Secretary Norton withheld from Congress information that:

• Some part of the herd has calved in the 1002 area for 27 of the past 30 years.
• Calf production and survival are lower when the Porcupine Caribou Herd does not calve in the 1002 area.
• Herd birth rates were lower in areas near oil field development than elsewhere.[6]

One Fish and Wildlife official told the Washington Post:

If Congress is going to have a serious discussion on the future of the Arctic refuge, it ought to have the whole story, not a slanted story . . . . We tried to present all the facts, but she only passed along the ones she liked. And to pass along facts that are false, well, that’s obviously inappropriate.[7]

While Secretary Norton subsequently admitted her mistake in reversing “inside” and “outside,” she did not address any of the other discrepancies between her letter and the biologists’ assessment.[8]

[1] Departmental Differences Show over ANWR Drilling, Washington Post (Oct. 19, 2001).

[2] Letter from Interior Secretary Gale Norton to Senator Frank Murkowski (July 11, 2001) (online at http://www.peer.org/alaska/ANWR01.PDF).

[3] Departmental Differences Show over ANWR Drilling, supra note 1.

[4] Id.; Letter from Interior Secretary Gale Norton to Senator Frank Murkowski, supra note 2.

[5] Letter from Interior Secretary Gale Norton to Senator Frank Murkowski, supra note 2.

[6] Id.

[7] Departmental Differences Show over ANWR Drilling, supra note 1.

[8] Norton Admits “Mistake” on Refuge Drilling Review, Washington Post (Oct. 20, 2001).