President Obama announced Sunday he will seek congressional protection for 12 million acres of Alaska’s coastline in order to protect the land and offshore areas from oil and gas exploration.
The president said he plans to ask Congress to designate the acreage, which lies within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), as “wilderness,” thereby conveying federally protected status and forbidding development.
“Alaska’s national wildlife refuge is an incredible place: pristine, undisturbed,” the president said in a White House video. “It supports caribou and polar bears, all manner of marine life, countless species of birds and fish, and, for centuries, it supported many Alaskan native communities.
“But it’s very fragile. That’s why I’m very proud that my Department of Interior has put forward a comprehensive plan to make sure that we’re protecting the refuge, and/or designating new areas, including coastal plains, for preservation. And I’m gonna be calling on Congress to make sure that they take it one step further: designating it as a wilderness, so we can make sure that this amazing wonder is preserved for future generations.”
http://personalliberty.com/obama-extends-reach-anwr-lands-keep-oil-industry/
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