AK Congressional Delegation Takes Unprecedented Step to Dismantle Critical Protections for Teshekpuk Lake, Indigenous Communities, Wildlife In the Western Arctic
Sen. Sullivan + Rep. Begich’s Introduce CRA Resolutions to Overturn the 2022 Western Arctic IAP
(Nuiqsut, Alaska / Washington, DC) — Late last week, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and U.S. Representative Nick Begich (R-AK) introduced Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions of disapproval targeting the 2022 National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska (NPR-A) Integrated Activity Plan (IAP). U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has also joined as a co-sponsor of Sen. Sullivan’s resolution.
If passed, these resolutions would put subsistence areas, cultural areas, and critical wildlife habitat in the Western Arctic at risk, including preventing the Bureau of Land Management from being able to fully protect the following resources and values from expanded oil and gas development in the Western Arctic:
Over 13 million acres of Special Areas, including Teshekpuk Lake, Utukok River Uplands, Colville River, Kasegaluk Lagoon, and Peard Bay, specifically designated for their exceptional ecosystems, subsistence resources, solitary recreation opportunities, and cultural significance;
Caribou calving and migratory bird nesting habitat that supports global bird populations and Alaska Native subsistence traditions; and;
Critical habitat for federally-listed wildlife species, including the shrinking Southern Beaufort Sea population of polar bear.
In response, Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, Executive Director of Grandmothers Growing Goodness, released the following statement:
“It is extremely concerning to see the Alaska delegation take this unprecedented step. On our land, we are feeling the constant threat of these decisions. If passed, the resolution would set a dangerous precedent not only for us but for all public lands nationwide. We will have serious impacts in not only Nuiqsut but throughout the Western Arctic communities, and on all of our wildlife and ecosystems. The assault has continued through the decades, and now the Trump Administration and Congress continue to dismantle the last safeguards and force more development on our vulnerable lands. Who is fighting for us if the Alaska delegation isn't? These lands are not just empty spaces. They are our home, our place for life, health, and safety, traditions, and culture.”
Additional Background:
The 2022 NPR-A IAP, which governs 23 million acres of federal lands in the Western Arctic, was informed by more than a decade of engagement with experts, Indigenous communities, stakeholders, and the broader public. The IAP helps protect critical habitat for the Teshekpuk and Western Arctic Caribou herds, polar bears, migratory birds, and Arctic fish from expanded oil and gas development – while supporting the subsistence traditions of Alaska Native communities
Congress has never “disapproved” a federal land use plan under the CRA before. If Congress moves forward with disapproving the NPR-A IAP, the statute states that the rule “may not be reissued in substantially the same form,” limiting the Bureau of Land Management’s ability to protect the NPR-A in a future plan and setting a dangerous precedent for protecting public lands and waters.
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