Politics

Senator Grills Obama Official Over ANWR

Kerry Picket Political Reporter
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The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) caused a stir on Capitol Hill Wednesday when Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan grilled U.S. Fish and Wildlife director Dan Ashe.

Sullivan questioned Ashe as to what he thinks his agency’s authority is when it comes to designating a particular ANWR location as a wilderness.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is holding numerous hearings on nine Republican pieces of legislation. The bills include one that would provide a closer look at the Endangered Species Act.

President Obama announced in January a proposal that would designate 1.4 million acres of ANWR land as protected wilderness. The plan prohibits gas and oil drilling in northern Alaska, which means almost 20 million acres is permanently off limits to oil and gas drilling.

The 1002 Area of ANWR is the 1.5 million acre of land that is east of Prudhoe Bay that, in 1980, was reserved for future oil and gas drilling through a law known as Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). However, this could only happen if Congress approved. In previous years, it was impossible for Republican presidents to gain approval from often Democratic Congresses that would block the proposal.

President Obama, however, designated the area as protected wilderness, and the Republican Congress was given no say in the matter.

Sen. Sullivan asked Ashe why the president thinks he does not require the approval of Congress when making this designation.

“Do you think there’s any other branch of the federal government that has the power to either develop the 1002 area for either oil and gas or make it a wilderness besides this body of Congress?” Sullivan asked.

Ashe responded that he did not.

Sullivan then said, “So how can the president of the United States say he’s going to submit a bill to make the 1002 area wilderness, which is fine. He has the right to do this. It’s got to be approved here. It won’t go anywhere, but in the meantime say ‘I’m going to manage the 1002 area for wilderness anyway.’ That’s what he said on Air Force One to big fanfare.”

He asked, “How can he manage the 1002 area as wilderness, when you don’t have the authority to do that? Can you explain that to me?”

Ashe defended his agency, saying they “are managing the 1002 area as we are managing it today for what we call minimal management.”

Sullivan shot back that no other administration — Republican or Democrat — before the Obama administration ever said it was going to manage the 1002 section as wilderness. The discussion between Sullivan and Ashe became especially heated when the Alaska Republican brought up a Republican in the White House scenario.

“If there is a president in 2017 and he’s a Republican and he submits legislation to develop the 1002 area for oil and gas development. It doesn’t go anywhere. It’s a tough issue. Can that president — say it’s President Cruz, or President Rubio, or President Paul — can that president say, ‘I’m going to manage to 1002 area for oil and gas development?'” Sullivan asked.

Ashe responded, “We would have to change our conservation plan. We have gone through the lawful administrative process in developing a comprehensive plan.”

“Not if you’re designating 1002 as wilderness without Congressional approval,” Sullivan said.

Ashe hit back, “We have a comprehensive conservation plan for the management of the refuge which has been developed through a public process …”

“Can a president in 2017 manage the 1002 area for oil and gas even through a comprehensive management plan?” Sullivan asked again.

“No,” said Ashe.

“Can a president now manage the 1002 area for wilderness?”

“The president is not …”

“The answer has to be ‘no’ if you said ‘no’ to the other question.”

Members of the Committee also debated whether or not to list the sage grouse bird an endangered species. Eight of the nine bills being debated in committee are targeted at amending the Endangered Species Act.