The Trump administration is aiming to open millions of hectares&nbsp;of Alaska Arctic land for drilling that was protected under the Obama administration.

The U.S. Department of the Interior began talks with state officials and the North Slope Borough, looking to update the 2013 management plan that kept drilling off about half of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, the Anchorage Daily News reported this week. The vast reserve spans about 93,077 square kilometres, and is almost as large as the state of Maine.

The potential area includes part of the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area, which was about doubled in size under the integrated activity plan and other protections. The area and nearby wetlands are considered vital for several animal species, including caribou, polar bears and migrating birds.

U.S. Federal agency pegs $4M for ANWR infrastructure

The Interior Department plans to spend $4 million in the section of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge where petroleum drilling may be allowed.

In this undated photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an airplane flies over caribou from the Porcupine Caribou Herd on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. The Trump administration is moving toward oil and gas drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A notice being published Friday, April 20, 2018, in the Federal Register starts a 60-day review to sell oil and gas leases in the remote refuge. Oil and gas drilling in the pristine area in northeastern Alaska is a longtime Republican priority that most Democrats fiercely oppose. 

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

In this undated photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an airplane flies over caribou from the Porcupine Caribou Herd on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska.

Canada to oppose oil drilling on caribou habitat in Alaska

The U.S. has opened a 60-day public comment period before environmental hearings on allowing drilling on the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd.

In this undated file photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, caribou from the Porcupine Caribou Herd migrate onto the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. Canadian First Nations are gearing up to fight new American interest in oil drilling on the calving grounds of a caribou herd they depend on for food. 

The Porcupine caribou herd migrates onto the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. Last Friday, the U.S. opened a 60-day public comment period before environmental hearings on allowing drilling in parts of the refuge.

The formal process to review and revise the plan has not started, said Joe Balash, the department's assistant secretary for land and minerals management.

"The [management]&nbsp;plan really restricted a lot of acreage," Balash said. "A lot of people were unhappy about it. The borough was unhappy, the state was unhappy. So it's ripe for a review."

Protections warranted, says Audubon Alaska&nbsp;

Susan Culliney, policy director for Audubon Alaska, said the existing plan doesn't need to be changed because it balances conservation and oil development. Environmental review and public comment will be critical for any revision to the plan, she said.

"Audubon will certainly be there to offer science and data" to show why strong protections are warranted, she said.

The borough wants the part of the protected lands with strong oil and gas potential to be opened up, Mayor Harry Brower Jr. said.

Measures to protect wildlife and subsistence hunters can be implemented where needed.

The size of the area that could open for drilling is uncertain and the proposal will be made with input from the stakeholders, Balash said

The potential area includes part of the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area, which is considered vital for several animal species, including caribou, polar bears and migrating birds. This image provided by Subhankar Banerjee via the Alaska Wilderness League shows an aerial view of some wetland areas and caribou on Lake Teshekpuk in 2006. 

U.S. Interior Department eyes protected Arctic land for drilling

Protections warranted, says Audubon Alaska

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