Obama to push for Alaskan wilderness

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama will ask Congress to increase environmental protections for millions of acres of pristine animal habitat in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska in a move that already has triggered fierce opposition from the state's Republican lawmakers.

The White House announced Sunday that Obama would ask Congress to designate 12 million acres of the refuge's 19 million acres as wilderness. The wilderness designation is the strongest level of federal protection afforded to public lands, and would forbid a range of activity that includes drilling for oil and gas and construction of roads.

If the proposal is enacted, the area would be the largest wilderness designation since Congress passed the Wilderness Act more than 50 years ago. But the proposal seems unlikely to find support in Congress, now with a Republican majority in both houses and a leadership that has consistently rebuffed Obama's environmental agenda.

"Designating vast areas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as wilderness reflects the significance this landscape holds for America and its wildlife," Sally Jewell, secretary of the interior, said in a statement. "Just like Yosemite or the Grand Canyon, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of our nation's crown jewels and we have an obligation to preserve this spectacular place for generations to come."

The White House proposal was first reported Sunday by The Washington Post.

The arctic refuge is home to a vast and diverse array of wildlife, including caribou, polar bears, gray wolves and musk oxen. But it is also believed to hold significant oil and gas reserves. Ever since President Jimmy Carter signed a 1980 law creating the refuge, Alaska lawmakers have fought to open up the area for drilling and development.

Among the fiercest Republican opponents of the plan is Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, chairman of the Senate Energy Committee.

"What's coming is a stunning attack on our sovereignty and our ability to develop a strong economy that allows us, our children and our grandchildren to thrive," Murkowski said in a statement.

"It's clear this administration does not care about us, and sees us as nothing but a territory," she added. "The promises made to us at statehood, and since then, mean absolutely nothing to them. I cannot understand why this administration is willing to negotiate with Iran, but not Alaska. But we will not be run over like this. We will fight back with every resource at our disposal."

Environmentalists cheered the proposal, even though enactment by the current Congress appears unlikely.

"This is a big deal," Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters, said in a statement. "Big oil has long wanted to get its hands on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but the scientists at the Fish and Wildlife Service have declared that this iconic American wilderness is just too special to drill in. We wholeheartedly agree and celebrate this announcement by the Obama administration."

Over the coming days, the Obama administration is expected to release a series of policies on conservation and oil and gas drilling. As early as today, the Interior Department is expected to release a five-year plan outlining where federal waters will be open to or protected from offshore drilling.

A Section on 01/26/2015

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