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Oil Drilling In Alaska Wilderness

Oil Drilling in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuges
America Should Reject the Oil Businesses Plan and
Permanently Protect The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge


The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, comprising more than nineteen million acres in the northern corner of Alaska, is unique and one of the largest units of the National Wildlife system. The Arctic Refuge has long been recognized as an unparalleled place of natural beauty and ecological importance. The Arctic Refuge was established to conserve fish and wildlife populations and habitats in their natural diversity, as well as provide the opportunity for local residents to continue their subsistence way of life. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the Refuge, calls it "the only conservation system unit that protects, in an undisturbed condition, a complete spectrum of the arctic ecosystems in North America." (‘Alaska Wild')
As early as the 1930's, leading biologists and conservationists were captivated by the scenic beauty and wildlife diversity of Alaska's northeastern Arctic. In the early 1950's, a survey was conducted by the National Park Service to determine which Alaskan lands merited protection. This northeast corner was deemed, "the finest park prospect ever seen." After years of political battles and activism, supporters of the Arctic Refuge achieved victory. On December 6, 1960, during the Eisenhower Administration, Interior


Secretary Fred Seaton signed Public Land Order No. 2214. This order established the 8.9 million acre Arctic National Wildlife Range to protect the wildlife, wilderness and recreational values. This order closed the area to mineral entry. Twenty years later, Congress passed and President Jimmy Carter signed the Alaskan National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). This more than doubled the original size to 19.8 million acres and established 8.6 million acres of the original area as wilderness (‘Alaska Wild').
This wildlife...