House 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 anti-environment measures that stray far from the core mission of funding government operations. It blatantly undermines the significant strides made by the Biden administration in protecting America’s Arctic. 

“This shameless anti-environment bill threatens to dismantle critical government infrastructure and programs precisely when we urgently need to expand federal initiatives to address the climate crisis,” said Alex Cohen, Government Affairs Director at Alaska Wilderness League. “House Republican majority appropriators are callously disregarding the suffering of Americans most affected by this month’s climate-driven heatwave, in addition to the dozens of other climate disasters that have already afflicted millions of Americans just this year.” 

This bill aggressively promotes oil and gas development across vast stretches of Alaska’s public lands. It mandates onshore lease sales, eliminates sensible rules for managing the Western Arctic (NPR-A) and opens millions more acres of the Arctic Ocean to offshore leasing. These provisions underscore the lengths to which the House Republican majority is willing to prioritize profits and industry over the welfare of their constituents. Furthermore, the bill even seeks to undo action that canceled illegally issued Arctic Refuge leases last year. These Alaska Development and Industrial Export Authority (AIDEA) leases were rightfully canceled by the Biden administration last fall due to flaws in the Trump-era leasing program. 

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