Should Congress overturn a rule limiting oil and gas leasing in Alaska?
This House Joint Resolution is a proposal to overturn a rule from the Bureau of Land Management under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to cancel recent agency rules. The Bureau of Land Management rule is titled the “Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Record of Decision,” which restricts oil and gas activity in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Coastal Plain by limiting leasable land and requiring protections for wildlife habitat, indigenous resources, and more.
Sponsor: Rep. Nicholas Begich (Republican, Alaska, District At Large)
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Opponents say
• "The Arctic is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world. In the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), the Bureau of Land Management estimated that an average of more than 375,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions would be released each year during extraction alone -- more than 26 million tons during the full 70-year period the agency estimates for oil and gas production in the coastal plain." Source: Join Statement by 259 Organizations, The Wilderness Society
• "Our Gwich’in people have relied on these lands and waters just as the Porcupine caribou herd have for thousands of years, and any threats to the caribou are a direct threat to our way of life. We will continue to fiercely defend Iizhik Gwats'an Gwandaii Goodlit from any threats from oil and gas development, period. Our Gwich’in people stand side by side with all Alaska Native communities and our allies that are opposed to extractive and destructive industry on sacred land. We will fight this." Source: Kristen Moreland, Executive Director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee
Proponents say
• "When we talk about Alaska’s energy potential - we are talking about more than molecules in the ground or development projects. We’re talking about a true cornerstone of American prosperity and a valuable tool for national security. For the first time in years, Alaska has a seat at the table. We are no longer locked up by burdensome regulations or unlawful restrictions." Source: Rep. Nick Negich (Republican, Alaska)
• "Today's announcement marks a milestone in Alaska’s forty-year journey to responsibly develop our State and our Nation's new energy frontier - the 1002 Area. The Record of Decision is a definitive step in the right direction to developing this area's energy potential - between 4.3 and 11.8 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil reserves." Source: Gov. Michael Dunleavy (Republican, Alaska)
