But what will an Interior Department under Palin, or any of Trumps other picks look like? On his campaign website, Trump promises to streamline the permitting process for all energy projects, which will likely mean cutting back environmental review, and encourage the production of [fossil fuel] resources by opening onshore and offshore leasing on federal lands and waters. Almost immediately, Pitcaithley expects it to become open season for oil and gas drilling on public lands. For example, in Alaska, Palins home state, the massive Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has been contested for years by people eager to explore it for oil. So far, the drillers have been staved off. I think thats up for grabs now, Pitcaithley says. Indeed, the morning after election day, the Alaska Dispatch News wrote that with both the House and Senate now Republican and Trump in the White House, pro-development Alaskans could already taste oil.
But we arent just talking about drilling in public landsright now, says Pitcaithley, the only thing blocking the government from leasing land inside National Parks to drillers are pieces of legislation. To allow drilling in, say, Yosemite, you would simply change the legislation, he says. With Congress and the White House both Republican, and a Supreme Court that will likely swing conservative during Trumps tenure, I think the chances are good that will happen in certain places.
