President Obama has decided to propose protecting 12.28 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to Congress.
The Interior Department recommends designating the millions of acres of land as wilderness, according to Politico. This designation protects and preserves the refuge by ensuring that the land and water stay unchanged for use and enjoyment by future generations.
However, only Congress can label this area as wilderness. Republican lawmakers are unlikely to approve the proposal, but if they do, it would be the biggest wilderness designation in 50 years, Politico reported.
Obama's administration revealed the plan Sunday and it includes the 7 million acres already designated as wilderness, Bloomberg reported. Obama announced the plan in a video address on YouTube. He spoke about maintaining and protecting the beauty of the area, but did not discuss the economic impact of such a proposal.
Republicans raised their voices to voice their discontent with the proposal. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and accused the Obama administration of not caring about Alaska and its interests. Sen. Dan Sullivan said the proposal was a declaration of war on Alaska. Alaska Gov. Bill Walker said he would act against Obama to increase the options Alaska has available for oil exploration and production on the state-owned land.
The refuge is closed to fossil fuel drilling and Congress is the only one who can open it up for exploration, Politico said. The refuge is a home to animals such as the caribou.
