Should the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge be protected wilderness?
S. 282 would permanently protect lands of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) from commercial exploitation. This act would designate the specified 1.5 million acres of the ANWR, referred to as the “Coastal Plain”, to federally protected status in the National Wilderness Preservation System. This would restore the ANWR to its previous status of protection, which had been overturned in 2017 by the Trump administration’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. S. 282 would be in tandem with the recent executive order by President Biden that now holds a temporary moratorium on all oil and gas activity in the area. Sponsor: Senator Edward J. Markey (Democrat, Massachusetts) View full bill text ➔
How do you feel?
Opponents say
Proponents say
• "After a recent failed set of lease sales, it’s clear that Republicans’ promises of a major fiscal windfall from development on the coastal plain were really a major fiscal flop. The (ANWR) is worthy of protection, with deep value to Arctic communities and to the nation as a whole. In tandem with efforts to safeguard the Refuge from harm, we encourage meaningful consultation with Indigenous peoples regarding the use, management, and conservation of the coastal plain." Source: Senator Ed Markey (Democrat, Massachusetts)