Posts by Anja Semanco
Proposed Land Exchange in Izembek Refuge Sparks Conservation Concerns
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 11/13/2024 Contact: Anja Semanco | anja@alaskawild.org | 724-967-2777 Proposed Land Exchange in Izembek Refuge Sparks Conservation Concerns Decision may set precedent affecting millions of protected acres across Alaska Washington, D.C. – Today, the Department of the Interior released a draft supplemental environmental impact statement reviewing a land exchange within Alaska’s Izembek National Wildlife…
Read MoreBiden Administration Releases Final Supplemental Environmental Statement for Arctic Refuge.
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Biden administration announced the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) for the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The FSEIS was needed in order to re-assess the environmental impacts of the Arctic Refuge oil and gas leasing program because the first analysis by the Trump administration was fundamentally…
Read MoreWe Will Never Stop Defending Wild Alaska
“On behalf of Alaska Wilderness League, I am deeply disappointed by this week’s election results. However, we are not disheartened.,” said Kristen Miller, executive director. “Our commitment to protecting Alaska’s lands and waters remains unchanged despite the storm brewing on the horizon. For decades, we have fought against all odds to protect wild Alaska. As we…
Read MoreSecretary Haaland Secures 28 Million Acres of Land Protections for Alaska
Today, the Biden administration and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced an order to solidify protections for 28 million acres of Alaska.
Read MoreWhat the Chevron Ruling Means for the League
Since 1984 – under what was known as the “Chevron doctrine” – courts in the United States deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous laws passed by Congress. This gave federal agencies the leniency and power to interpret unclear laws, under the idea that agencies – with expertise in applicable science, public consultation, and a depth…
Read MoreBiden Administration Secures Multiple Protections For Alaska
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 28, 2024 Contact: Anja Semanco | anja@alaskawild.org | 724-967-2777 Biden Administration Secures Multiple Protections For Alaska Washington D.C. – Today, the Biden administration announced a set of measures aimed at protecting millions of acres of Alaska, marking the next step toward securing prosperity for local Alaskan communities by preserving intact public lands and…
Read MoreHouse Republican Majority Pushes Forward With Anti-Arctic Riders
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 27, 2024 Contact: Anja Semanco | anja@alaskawild.org | 724-967-2777 House Republican Majority Pushes Forward With Anti-Arctic Riders Pro-polluter appropriations bill threatens America’s Arctic Washington, D.C. – Alaska Wilderness League expresses profound disappointment at today’s House Appropriations release of an Interior appropriations bill. The bill reads like a wish list for big oil, packed with…
Read MoreBiden Finalizes Strengthened Conservation Protections for America’s Arctic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 19, 2024 Contact: Anja Semanco | anja@alaskawild.org Biden Finalizes Strengthened Conservation Protections for America’s Arctic 13 million acres of Special Areas receive expanded protections Washington, D.C. – Today, the Biden administration released a final regulation to provide lasting protections for nearly 13 million acres of Special Areas in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska…
Read MoreLittle-Known “D1” Lands Protecting 28 Million Acres in Alaska Under Threat
In 1971, President Richard Nixon (surprisingly enough) passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, which at the time was the largest land claims settlement in U.S. history. One of the most impressive features of the bill was section 17(d)(1) which gave the Interior Secretary the authority to set portions of that land aside to be protected for subsistence ways of life, cultural relationships with the land, and protection for wildlife.
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