Last week, in a rush to move forward with a plan to allow drilling in Alaska’s Arctic before leaving office, the Trump Administration asked companies to identify areas they want to drill in preparation for a lease sale. But at the earliest the sale wouldn’t take place until just before Trump left office, and Senator Tom Udall, a contender for head of the Interior Department, said the issue “needs to be looked at on Day One” of Biden’s administration. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is also fighting against pushback from the finance industry, which is increasingly under pressure from environmental advocates and indigenous groups to avoid funding Arctic drilling. With five major banks already swearing off financing Arctic drilling, on Friday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency proposed a rule that would prohibit banks from refusing to lend to entire industries. On top of being a threat to the climate, drilling in Alaskan Arctic also threatens wildlife there, many of which are sacred to the native Gwich’in people. “It’s a threat to our way of life. It’s a threat to our food security and our identity, and our identity is not up for negotiation. All our songs, stories and dances are directed to the porcupine caribou herd,” said Bernadette Demientieff, executive director of Gwich’in Steering Committee. (Trump’s Move: Nexus Media News, Washington Post. Finance: Bloomberg, Axios. Biden’s Response: Reuters)