Congressional House Dems (And A Few Republicans) Impose Their Will On Alaskans With ANWR Vote

June 21, 2019

On Thursday, the U.S. House voted overwhelmingly for an amendment to establish a provision in Section 118 of the Interior-Environment spending bill that effectively blocks the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, if lease sales scheduled for late this year don’t generate at least $500 million in bids.

The amendment, introduced by California liberal – and former National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) employee – Jared Huffman, would halt any further development, should the lease sales fall short of the set amount.

What Huffman and the Democrats (along with four Republicans) fail to remember is that Alaskans – by over a 70% positive response using historical polling – are in favor of opening the 1002 section of ANWR to drilling.

The NRDC, along with other eco-extremist organizations such as the Center for Biological Diversity, the Alaska Center (for the Environment) and the Gwich’in Steering Committee and its “Defend the Sacred” campaign, have spent millions of dollars trying to convince the Lower 48 that Alaskans need to be protected from themselves, and their own economic opportunities, by closing ANWR to development forever.

The good news? The amendment is sure to meet its demise in the U.S. Senate, where Alaska’s senior senator Lisa Murkowski chairs the Energy and Natural Resources committee. She and Alaska’s other senator, Dan Sullivan, understand the Alaskan support for ANWR development, and continue to work diligently to move it forward.

Power The Future – unlike many in the House – know that Alaska has been, and will continue to be, economically driven by responsible resource development, and that the North Slope of Alaska is a key component to President Trump’s goal for American energy dominance and independence. We thank the Alaska Congressional delegation – Representative Don Young, along with Senators Murkowski and Sullivan – for standing up for Alaska’s future.