Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is now open for drilling as a result of a recent congressional vote on the issue, which ended over forty years of debate on the future of the conserved lands. The House voted 224-201 in favor of allowing drilling in the ANWR, mostly along party lines. The provision was part of the Republicans’ tax overhaul bill, which President Donald Trump is expected to sign into law. “After decades and decades in this chamber, we are opening up a small non-wilderness area of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge for responsible development. That is the most ambitious step we have taken in years to secure our own energy future,” Speaker Paul Ryan said. Trump boasted about the accomplishment during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, according to The Hill. “We’re going to start drilling in ANWR, one of the largest oil reserves in the world, that […]