Political Quotes

“this morning we introduced legislation to protect the coastal plains region of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from the threat of oil and gas exploration. S. 231 designates 1.5 million acres of the Refuge as Wilderness to be included in the National Wilderness Preservation System. Bestowing Wilderness designation on this precious piece of national heritage will reaffirm the original intent of the Refuge: to provide habitat for Alaska's wildlife. As designated Wilderness, that land will become subject to specific management restrictions. Human activities will be restricted to non-motorized recreation, scientific research, and other non-invasive activities. Logging, mining, road building, mechanized vehicles, and other forms of development are generally prohibited in designated Wilderness areas. However, since these particular lands are in Alaska, some public motorized uses will be permitted for subsistence and traditional use. For example, subsistence hunting as well as limited backpacking and hiking will be allowed. The Arctic Refuge is home to 250 species of wildlife. Drilling there would severely harm its abundant populations of polar bears, caribou, musk oxen, and snow geese, and the amount of commercially recoverable oil in the Refuge would satisfy only a very small percentage of our nation's need at any given time. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a pristine natural treasure that must be preserved for future generations.”