The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a unique place in God's Creation and a national treasure that embodies wilderness, ecological integrity, sacred beauty and unique recreational opportunities. The Arctic Refuge's Coastal Plain is a vital part of a larger ecosystem that supports a diverse biological landscape as well as the Gwich'in, an indigenous people who depend on the Porcupine Caribou herd for their daily sustenance. Oil and gas exploration on the Coastal Plain would disrupt the birthing patterns of the caribou and have devastating effects on Gwich'in people. 


People of faith are joining together in their commitment to steward God's creation and demonstrate their solidarity with the Gwich'in people by protecting this invaluable piece of God's good earth against oil and gas development. Below are letters and statements from the faith community regarding the Arctic:
​Religious leaders and faith organizations have long voiced support to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Gwich'in people. In September 2019, religious organizations and denominations sent a letter to Congress urging that the Arctic Refuge protected from oil exploration and drilling. Faith leaders and religious organizations reacted to the news that Congress passed legislation in December 2017 that would open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling in the tax package. Faith leaders reacted to the US Senate's budget resolution vote that allows for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Click here to see the statements. Black church state leaders urged Congress to remove the Arctic Refuge drilling provisions out of the tax reform bill. 

Rev. Mitch Hescox
​Evangelical Environmental Network

In the great gospel song we sing “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” Even the sparrow does not escape God’s care, and He created us to care in His stead.
That is precisely why we are deeply disappointed by the inclusion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in the tax bill that recently passed both chambers of Congress. Now, after decades of bipartisan support for conserving this pristine landscape, the Department of the Interior has been not only authorized, but required to sell leases to the oil and gas industries for development.
The Refuge is home to a variety of creatures, from the sparrow to the porcupine caribou. As Pro-Life Christians, we cannot support any efforts that could result in the extinction of one of God’s creatures, such as the porcupine caribou whose population is threatened by drilling in the Arctic Refuge.  
    We are called to by God to be good stewards of America’s majesty. That is why over 42,000 pro-life Christians have called on our leaders to preserve and protect the pristine lands God has given us. We are extremely troubled by this attempt to ruin this land and harm God’s creatures through oil and gas development.

Rev. Doris Hicks
Christian Methodist Church

Senators Graham and Scott as well as Congressman like Representative Sanford have heard from hundreds of religious leaders in South Carolina and thousands of black church congregants declaring that protecting the Arctic Refuge is a priority for the people of South Carolina and a necessary step to protect this iconic place and the Gwich'in people who call it home. I am
disappointed in their vote to drill in the Refuge.

Shantha Ready Alonso
​Creation Justice Ministries

The fact that in 2017, a majority of members of Congress would demonstrate such blatant lack of respect for the Gwich’in peoples’ culture, spirituality, and food security is deeply troubling. While this oil and gas leasing authorization by Congress and the Trump Administration is a setback, we continue to stand with the Gwich’in people to protect their ancestral home. We call on all oil and gas companies to recognize the spiritual devastation oil and gas drilling in the Refuge would unleash.
Leaders of national and regional religious organizations sent a letter to Congress urging protection for the Refuge. Catholic nuns in New York and Pennsylvania also sent a letter to Congress. Click here for a statement from Creation Justice Ministries and the Evangelical Environmental Network and the Religious Action Center. ​Faith leaders reacted to the US Senate's budget resolution vote that allows for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Click here to see the statements.

Kyle Meyaard-Schaap
​Young Evangelicals for Climate Action

As Christians, we cannot stand silently by while Congress tramples on the sovereign rights of the Gwich’in people and sells off a pristine and unique piece of God’s creation to the highest bidder. We reject this legislation’s false choice between a healthy economy and a healthy creation, and we recommit ourselves to working for a future where human rights and God’s creation are respected and valued as the beautiful gifts that they are. See the full statement here.
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Rev. Dr. Russell Meyer
​Florida Council of Churches

Buried within the Tax Cuts and Jobs Bill is a matter of particular worry for Floridians: the provision to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration under the rationale of thousands of new jobs being created. Oil must remain about $80 per barrel, which hasn’t happened in more than three years and only then resulted from the Iraq War, for exploration to pay out. The Arctic Refuge protects the calving ground of the porcupine caribou and is sacred land to the Gwich’in people, who rely on the caribou for their livelihood. Now that many of Florida’s delegation have voted to drill in the Arctic Refuge, how can they stop drilling when it is proposed for Florida’s protected coastlines? Or what shall we say when Cuba wishes to drill in the Florida Straits? Protected should mean protected. By desecrating a 1000 year plus relationship between humanity and nature in the Arctic refuge, the tax bill reveals that is very much like the Golden Calf that provided false promises of prosperity to the Israelites in the wilderness. Worshiping profits will not generate more profits.

Christian Reformed Church in America

The CRC Office of Social Justice is deeply saddened by the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which includes provisions that are deeply troubling to us as people of faith committed to wise stewardship of God’s earth and justice for Indigenous communities.

We grieve the provision to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil drilling. The Refuge is the home of the Gwich’in people, who have lived on the land for thousands of years and whose very existence is now threatened by the planned drilling in the ANWR. Drilling infrastructure will disrupt the migration patterns of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, which travel almost exclusively on a narrow strip of land along the coast of the Refuge to birth and raise their young. For the Gwich’in people, who call themselves the Caribou People, they fear that if the caribou are lost, they too will lose their way of life. The passage of the tax bill is a direct threat to the future and well-being of the Gwich’in community, who now must adapt to an uncertain future.

As people of faith, we believe that we must steward God’s earth wisely, which includes working for and supporting sustainable ways of living. Ongoing climate change demonstrates that fossil fuels are harmful and disproportionately affect the most vulnerable. Opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling is a step in the wrong direction and directly harms the Gwich’in people. As people who honor the sanctity of human life, we believe that each person is made in the image of God and has the right to dignity and flourishing. We mourn that the voices of the Gwich’in people were ignored and their fears that drilling in the Refuge will have unalterable effects on their communities set aside. As the body of Christ, we will continue to work for justice for our Indigenous neighbors and creation.

Rev. Tom Martinez
​United Church of Christ, Arizona

History will not look kindly on today's vote allowing for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  The blatant disregard for the environment shown by this administration and its supporters is rivaled only by their short-sighted greed.   Let it be known that one of the last truly wild places in the United States is being traded for an estimated year's wroth of fossil fuel.  People of faith and all those with a passion for the protection of the natural world should unite in opposition to this misguided and underhanded move by those interested only in profit.  Needless to say this will only intensify the unfolding ecological crisis and the extreme weather events following in its wake, giving further cause for all people of good will to unite.
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Rabbi Jonah Pesner
Jewish Council for Public Affairs

This bill also includes damaging provisions beyond the structure of the tax code. The repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate could leave as many as 13 million more Americans without health insurance. And its provisions allowing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge endangers an ecologically vulnerable area and the Gwich'in people's way of life.
     As Jews, we are guided by the Torah’s command to ‘open your hand to the poor and needy kinsman in your land’ (Deuteronomy 15:11). Our texts, along with our tradition of communal social services, have taught us to regard the tax code as a reflection of our shared commitment to all people. We are compelled to contribute our fair share to the welfare of all in order to bring us closer to a world of justice.
     We are inspired by the ancient lessons of our tradition. Today, the government is the only institution that has the reach and ability to strengthen those in need wherever they may live. Unfortunately, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act shirks these commitments and enacts irresponsible tax cuts that will strain government resources for essential programs.
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Rev. Sandy Strauss
Pennsylvania Council of Churches

This legislation also takes direct aim at one of the world’s most pristine, beautiful, and fragile areas—targeting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling. Drilling threatens to upset the delicate balance that exists among the land, animals, and native peoples, and continued extraction of fossil fuels threatens our very existence as temperatures continue to rise globally.
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Patrick Carolan
Franciscan Action Network

Opening the Arctic to drilling, further degrading God's creation is offensive. It's an affront to Native Americans, who view it as sacred land, and provides another example of the systematic oppression of the Native culture which goes back centuries. Finally, despite the rhetoric, the economic benefits are suspect. We must transition to renewable energy and an economy that works for all Americans and excludes no one.