Obama to seek wilderness designation for 12 million acres of Alaska refuge

By Associated Press

In this undated photo provided by the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a herd of musk ox graze in an area proposed as a possible site for oil exploration inside the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. | AP Photo/Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says he will ask Congress to designate more than 12 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, including the Coastal Plain, as a wilderness area. The designation would seal the area off from oil exploration and give it the highest degree of federal protection available to public lands.

The nearly 20 million acre refuge has long been a piece of contentious land in the struggle between conservationists and advocates of greater energy exploration in the United States.

In a White House video released Sunday, Obama says he is seeking the designation “so we can make sure that this amazing wonder is preserved for future generations.”

The Department of Interior on Sunday issued a comprehensive plan that for the first time recommended the additional protections.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Next Up In Politics

Hundreds protest in Global Climate Strike, demand that U.S. declare a climate emergency

Ballot bypass? Illinois sees lowest presidential primary voter turnout in decades

Chicagoans with ties to Middle East brace for consequences after Iran's missile strike on Israel

Chicago Teachers Union tries to bulldoze through Springfield on selective schools bill — and loses

Mayor Brandon Johnson's $1.25B borrowing plan sails through City Council

City Council OKs $70 million in extra funding for migrant crisis