Senate Vote Threatens Protections for Alaska’s Western Arctic

The Senate today approved a resolution utilizing the Congressional Review Act to rollback Biden-era protections for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. This misuse of the CRA creates dangerous regulatory uncertainty by eliminating responsible land management and putting the very existence of cultural areas, critical wildlife habitats and ecosystems in the Western Arctic at significant risk.

“The CRA is being incorrectly used as a tool to shape the future of the Western Arctic and sets a dangerous precedent for future environmental rollbacks, encouraging policymakers to disregard the ripple effects of these actions,” said Robert Dewey, vice president of government relations at Defenders of Wildlife. “This vote will authorize the fossil fuel industry’s continued destruction of habitat and landscapes that are critical for wildlife to survive.”

For much of the last decade, management of these lands has been driven by science-based knowledge and community and public feedback. Using the CRA in this fashion is inconsistent with responsible public land management and will create uncertainty for government agencies, the public and the conservation industry. 

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