The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is inviting public comments on a draft 15-year management plan for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), which leans toward expanding a wilderness designation across the potentially oil-rich Coastal Plain.
The draft plan is officially known as the Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and it is sure to be controversial as two alternatives in the document recommend the Coastal Plain for wilderness, which would permanently preclude oil and gas exploration and development.
The draft plan contains six alternatives for long-term management, ranging from the continuation of current practices to the designation of three geographic areas as wilderness. The CCP also proposes recommending at least four new Wild and Scenic River designations to Congress.
The draft plan does not identify a preferred alternative among the six, but a final plan next year will ultimately identify a preferred alternative. Public comments will be accepted through November 15, 2011.
In conducting a wilderness review for each geographic area under consideration, the Service evaluated whether a recommendation to designate wilderness would assist in achieving the purposes for which the refuge was established. As part of the analysis, the Service assessed the areas’ ecological, recreational, cultural, and symbolic values; their wildlife, water, vegetation, mineral, and soil resources; and their public uses.
The Service also addressed whether the refuge could effectively manage each area to preserve its wilderness character – meaning the benefits and impacts of managing each area as wilderness were compared to the benefits and impacts of managing the area under an alternate set of goals, objectives, and strategies not involving a wilderness designation.
Despite State of Alaska opposition, the Service has determined that much of the refuge is eligible for wilderness designation and four rivers are suitable for Wild and Scenic River designation.
If the final plan recommends additional Wilderness and/or Wild and Scenic River designations, the recommendation would require approval by the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Secretary of the Interior, and the President. The President would then submit the recommendation to Congress, which alone has the authority to make final decisions on any proposed Wilderness or Wild and Scenic River designations.
Reaction to the draft plan in Alaska was sharp with the state’s congressional delegation and the governor vowing to fight any new wilderness designation that would overlay the Coastal Plain.
“I am glad the Interior Department did not recommend a new wilderness area in their draft plan, and urge Alaskans to speak out over the coming months to ensure the Coastal Plain of ANWR stays on the table for oil and gas development,” said Senator Mark Begich.
The senator noted the vast majority of ANWR is already off limits to development, but Congress specifically set aside the Coastal Plain for oil and gas exploration.
“The energy rich resources beneath the Arctic Refuge should be developed to help ensure America’s energy and economic security,” said Begich. “Development in ANWR could create thousands of much-needed jobs in Alaska and across the country. I’ll fight every step of the way any effort by federal bureaucrats to close off this enormous source of oil and gas by slapping it with more wilderness designation.”
About 42 percent – eight million acres – of ANWR was designated as wilderness by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). Through the CCP process, the Service has now completed a wilderness review of the remaining lands in the refuge. In its review, the Service has identified three Wilderness Study Areas (WSA) outside the existing wilderness designation and determined they all meet the minimum criteria for wilderness. The three are the Brooks Range WSA, the Coastal Plain WSA, and the Porcupine Plateau WSA.
The Coastal Plain WSA is approximately 1.4 million acres and comprises seven percent of the refuge. It could contain up to 16 billion barrels of oil.
Alternative A is the no action alternative, meaning the current management situation would continue. None of the three WSAs would be recommended for wilderness, nor would any additional rivers in the refuge be given a wild and scenic designation. However, Alternative C would designate the Coastal Plain wilderness and Alternative E would designate virtually the entire refuge wilderness, as well as establishing four new Wild and Scenic River designations.
The CCP process for ANWR was launched in the spring of 2010 when the Service invited the public to comment on the issues and concerns a revised plan for the refuge should address. During that first comment period, the Service received 1,500 original letters and 92,500 form letters. Many commenters addressed the nation’s need for increased domestic oil production while others expressed their concerns for protecting wilderness. Other comments focused on recreational uses, subsistence, and Native issues.
Nearly all commenters addressed the wilderness issue, most of them focusing on the Coastal Plain and the effect wilderness designation would have on potential oil and gas development there. There were relatively few comments specific to either the Brooks Range or Porcupine Plateau WSAs.
In its 2010 comments, RDC and others requested the Service include an option for oil and gas exploration and development on the Coastal Plain. The Service rejected the option, claiming it is outside its authority to consider or propose an oil and gas development alternative. The Service said it is up to Congress to make a final decision on oil and gas development in ANWR.
RDC noted the Service appears to be stacking the deck against energy development as it also does not have the authority to designate Wilderness, and like oil and gas development, must go to Congress to seek approval.
Overall, 92 percent of the refuge is closed to development. The 1.4 million acre Coastal Plain (also known as the 1002 area) was excluded from the Wilderness designation in a compromise struck under ANILCA. In exchange, Congress doubled the size of ANWR and designated eight million acres outside the 1002 area as wilderness. In recognizing the Coastal Plain’s enormous oil and gas potential, Congress mandated a study of the 1002 area’s geology and petroleum resources, as well as its wildlife and environmental values. In 1987, the Department of the Interior concluded that oil development would have minimal impact on wildlife and recommended the Coastal Plain be opened to development.
Congress in 1995 voted to open the 1002 area to exploration, but President Bill Clinton vetoed the measure.
A federal Wilderness designation over the 1002 area would forever place off-limits what is likely North America’s most prolific onshore oil and gas prospect. Such action would mean abandoning the 1980 compromise and the enormous and much-needed energy resources in the area.
Wilderness is the most restrictive land classification, precluding all development. It is nearly impossible to undo.
Alaska already contains 58 million acres of federal wilderness, an area larger than the combined size of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire. Alaska accounts for 53 percent of America’s entire federal wilderness areas. Not one acre of federal wilderness would be disturbed by oil and gas development in the 1002 area.
Alaskans overwhelmingly oppose a wilderness designation on ANWR’s Coastal Plain, with 78 percent supporting oil exploration there. Every Alaskan Governor, legislature and elected congressional representative and senator from Alaska have supported responsible development. The North Slope Borough, the regional government for the entire Alaskan Arctic, also supports development within the 1002 area, as well as the village of Kaktovik, which is located on the Coastal Plain.
The State of Alaska has consistently opposed additional wilderness designations in Alaska because of the agreements made when ANILCA became law. In addition, Congress recognized in ANILCA that for Alaska to meet its economic and social needs, access to its natural resources would be essential.
The State of Alaska derives approximately 90 percent of its unrestricted general fund revenues from oil and gas development. As oil production declines, responsible development of the Coastal Plain’s oil and gas resources will be critical to Alaskans.
Oil development in ANWR would provide a safe and secure source of supply to the nation, would create hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout the country, and could refill the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, which is currently operating at one-third capacity.
Over the past 20 years, Congress has been split on the issue due to environmental concerns. However, populations of caribou, grizzly bears, polar bears, arctic foxes, and musk oxen have all grown or remained stable over the 35-year period of oil development on the North Slope. The Central Arctic caribou herd at Prudhoe Bay has grown from under 5,000 animals in the 1970s to more than 66,000 animals today.
RDC is urging its members to be actively engaged in the process. Alaskans should submit comments opposing any new wilderness designations on the Coastal Plain in order to preserve the option of future exploration. Public comments are due November 15. In addition, a public hearing will be held in Anchorage September 21 and in Fairbanks October 19.
A copy of the draft plan and additional materials are available at http://arctic.fws.gov/ccp.htm. Public comments may be submitted by e-mail to: ArcticRefugeCCP@fws.gov or by postal service mail to: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arctic NWR – Sharon Seim, 101 12th Ave, Rm 236, Fairbanks, AK 99701. Comments may also be faxed to (907) 456-0428.
Please see Action Alert at akrdc.org.
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