Bill Summary
This bill, known as the "Arctic Refuge Protection Act of 2019," aims to designate a specific portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska as wilderness. This means that the land would be protected and preserved as a natural habitat, and any human activities or development would be restricted. The bill would amend the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to add this designation, which would be approximately 1,559,538 acres of land. This designation would be a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, as outlined in the Wilderness Act of 1964.
Possible Impacts
1. Individuals who rely on the land in the designated portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for hunting, fishing, or other activities may be affected by this legislation as it could restrict or alter their access and use of the area.
2. Indigenous communities that have cultural and historical ties to the designated portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge may be impacted by this legislation as it could potentially limit their ability to continue practicing traditional activities and gathering resources from the land.
3. Environmental activists and conservationists may support this legislation as it could provide protection for the designated portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and preserve its natural resources and biodiversity. However, this could also lead to conflicts with industries that may want to exploit the area for oil and gas drilling.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2461 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2461
To designate a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as
wilderness.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 11, 2019
Mr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Bennet, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Carper, Mr.
Udall, and Mr. Schumer) introduced the following bill; which was read
twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To designate a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as
wilderness.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Arctic Refuge Protection Act of
2019''.
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF PORTION OF ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AS
WILDERNESS.
Section 4 of the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act
of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(p) Designation of Certain Land as Wilderness.--Notwithstanding
any other provision of this Act, a portion of the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge in Alaska comprising approximately 1,559,538 acres, as
generally depicted on the map entitled `Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge, Coastal Plain Proposed Wilderness', dated October 20, 2015,
labeled with Map ID 03-0172, and available for inspection in the
offices of the Secretary, is designated as a component of the National
Wilderness Preservation System under the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131
et seq.).''.
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