Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience
Withdraws Offshore Areas and Protects Northern Bering Sea Ecosystem
What it does
Agencies must coordinate to conserve the Northern Bering Sea, withdraw certain offshore areas from oil and gas leasing, and develop shipping, spill response, and tribal consultation measures.
Real-world impact
- Prevents future oil and gas leasing in withdrawn offshore areas.
- Requires federal agencies to consult Alaska Native tribes and use traditional knowledge.
- Prompts updated oil spill response plans and local spill training opportunities.
Topics
Summary
This order protects the Northern Bering Sea by withdrawing specified offshore areas from future oil and gas leasing and directing federal action to conserve the region's ecosystem.
It creates a Bering Task Force and a Bering Intergovernmental Tribal Advisory Council to provide tribal input, and it directs agencies to consider Alaska Native traditional knowledge in decisions. The order also directs work on shipping routing, vessel pollution limits, and improved oil spill plans and local response training to protect subsistence communities, wildlife, and marine habitat.
Questions, answered
Ask questions about this executive order and its implications. Try:
- “What agencies are affected by this order?”
- “How does this order change existing policy?”
- “What are the practical implications of this order?”