For Immediate Release

Today 10 a.m., the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining will hold a legislative hearing on 15 bills, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski's Alaska Native Claims Settlement Improvement Act, S. 1481.

Robert Dewey, vice president of government relations and external affairs, Defenders of Wildlife, issued this statement: 

"The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Improvement Act is a massive public lands giveaway. The bill would sell off hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands within the Tongass National Forest and the National Wildlife Refuge System to private profit. Lands that belong to the American people within the biologically sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would be privatized and opened to oil and gas development. These actions would have significant impacts on the wildlife that rely on old-growth forest and the Arctic Refuge to survive." 

For over 75 years, Defenders of Wildlife has remained dedicated to protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.1 million members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on X @Defenders.

  

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