A US oil company linked to Donald Trump is lobbying the president to lift a 1972 ban on sealskin imports to win favor in Greenland, where it hopes to drill for an estimated $1 trillion in untapped reserves.
Texas based Greenland Energy has drafted a 36 page proposal titled Sealskin Diplomacy, urging the Trump administration to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act to allow the import of seal pelts for luxury goods.
The company argues the move would create income for isolated communities in the Danish autonomous territory without requiring taxpayer money, altering the island's political status or increasing the number of seals killed.
Trump administration ties
The diplomatic push comes as Greenland Energy plans to spend $60 million on initial drilling in partnership with British mining firm 80 Mile. The US company estimates the Arctic region holds 13 billion barrels of unexploited oil, though it acknowledges these are unconfirmed estimates rather than commercially viable reserves.
The proposal has deep ties to the Trump administration. Greenland Energy board member Carol Craig runs a Florida business with a contract related to Trump's Golden Dome missile defense program.
Company president Larry Swets Jr. also sits on the board of Boxabl, a housing company whose co founder Paolo Tiramani offered $10 million for Trump's White House ballroom project.
Greenland Energy has also hired television presenter Phil McGraw, known as Dr Phil, for a six episode series on its oil efforts. McGraw has openly supported MAGA policies and collaborated closely with the Trump administration.
Unused seal skins
Greenland hunters kill about 85,000 seals a year, primarily for food, but international trade bans mean up to 65,000 skins are discarded or left unused annually.
The United States has banned the import and trade of seal skins since 1972, with limited exceptions for Alaska natives. The European Union has had a similar ban since 2009, though it includes exemptions for traditional indigenous hunts, such as those in Greenland.
Swets framed the issue as economic and cultural rather than about hunting, questioning why Greenlanders are prevented from selling the skins to Americans if the animals are already hunted for food.
Naaja Nathanielsen, one of Greenland's two representatives in the Danish parliament, said lifting the ban would be highly welcome because residents have suffered economically from the trade restrictions.
However, she warned the move would draw mixed reactions. Nathanielsen said residents would likely view the decision as 15 years late and part of a broader US effort to win hearts and minds in Greenland.
Geopolitical pawn
Interest in Greenland's mineral wealth has grown following Trump's repeated statements that he wants the US to take control of the island. His comments have drawn strong reactions from the territory and Denmark, and caused concern among NATO allies, similar to his previous remarks about annexing Canada.
Sheryl Fink, a spokesperson for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said the plan's creators are using seals as a pawn in a geopolitical bargain, adding that skins of endangered species should not be converted into international currency.
Greenland Energy maintains its plan only commercializes animals already killed for food.
Oil extraction in Greenland remains notoriously difficult due to ice cover, extreme weather and limited infrastructure. More than a decade ago, British firm Capricorn Energy, then known as Cairn Energy, spent about $1 billion on exploration without finding commercially viable deposits.
Greenland Energy itself previously had its exploration activities suspended by local authorities who ruled it lacked the required drilling rights.
The debate over sealskins masks a larger struggle for influence in the Arctic. Greenland sits on critical maritime and military routes, making it a key geopolitical battleground as the Trump administration looks to expand American influence in the region.
