Expanded drilling in Arctic waters and Cook Inlet is wrong for Alaska

By Regan Davey, Alaska Beacon January 19, 2026
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A polar walks across an overwashed barrier island during a large Arctic storm in September of 2016. The barrier island is offshore of Barter Island on Alaska’s Beaufort Sea coast. Polar bears there typically rest on the barrier islands during the day and transit to the “bone pile” on Barter Island in the evenings to feast on whale carcass remnants supplied by local village whaling activities. (Photo by Cordell Johnson/U.S. Geological Survey)

Alaskans today are grappling with an unclear future that is balanced between the impacts of a warming climate and the strain of depleting fisheries. What is clear is that a new proposal from Washington, D.C. would only make matters worse, threatening our coasts, cultures and climate. The proposed 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program is open for public comment until Jan. 23 and targets the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, as well as Cook Inlet for rampant oil and gas drilling.

To expand current drilling off Alaska’s coast would wreak havoc on Alaskan waters, wildlife and environment. Opening areas that have been protected for years is an affront to the vulnerable natural resources and species found there.

In the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, the stakes are very high. These waters are home to polar bears, bowhead whales, walrus, ringed and bearded seals, seabirds, Arctic cod, five species of salmon and some of the most productive marine ecosystems in the Arctic. Many of these animals depend on sea ice or quiet, intact habitat — both of which are destroyed when oil rigs arrive. In the Arctic, oil spills spread beneath the shifting sea ice where darkness, freezing temperatures and remote conditions make containment and cleanup extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible. A major spill, often hours or days from the nearest emergency responders and necessary equipment, would be catastrophic and permanent.

    For Alaska Native communities, these fish and marine mammals are not abstract environmental concerns — they represent food security, culture and identity. Seals, walrus, and bowhead and beluga whales are hunted for food and oil for entire communities, sustaining cultural traditions in regions where store-bought food is profoundly expensive or unavailable. Many coastal communities rely heavily on species that depend on a healthy marine environment, like salmon and whitefish, for subsistence. Offshore drilling disrupts migration routes, degrades habitat, and increases the risk of contamination of fish and marine mammals. For remote communities living along the coasts, who are seeing firsthand the impacts of rising sea levels and erosion due to a shifting climate, the added impacts from offshore drilling will further strain livelihoods and food security.

    When drilling platforms hit the water, the risks to wildlife are enormous and irreversible. Exploration and drilling can fragment habitat, displace wildlife and introduce chronic noise and light that disrupt migration, breeding and foraging. Spills and leaks — whether from wells, pipelines or transport — can contaminate soil, surface water and groundwater, with toxic hydrocarbons that persist for decades and bioaccumulate through food webs. Routine operations release air pollutants and greenhouse gases, contributing to respiratory health impacts and accelerating climate change, which in turn amplifies permafrost thaw, coastal erosion and extreme weather in northern regions. Roads and industrial infrastructure increase human access, elevating the risk of invasive species, illegal dumping and long-term landscape alteration. Even after production ends, abandoned wells and aging infrastructure can continue to leak, creating enduring environmental and financial liabilities for future generations.

    In addition to the threats of opening the Arctic, Cook Inlet is also home to one of the most endangered whale populations on earth: the Cook Inlet beluga. Fewer than 350 animals remain across the entire population due to declining salmon runs, increased vessel traffic, seismic surveys and industrial noise — all of which interfere with beluga feeding, communication, health and reproduction. These whales are already struggling to survive. If more activity is brought into their waters through expanded drilling, their risk of extinction becomes more of a certainty.

    To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, we must decrease our consumption of fossil fuels. Opening new offshore areas to drilling locks in decades of continued burning and warming, at the exact moment we need less. The Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on earth. To intentionally fuel more of that warming while putting livelihoods, food security and communities at risk is unconscionable.

    Alaska Beacon is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alaska Beacon maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Andrew Kitchenman for questions: [email protected]. Follow Alaska Beacon on Facebook and X.