Number: 1989-16
WHEREAS, the Arctic National Wildlife Range was established in 1960 for the purpose of preserving unique wildlife, wilderness, and recreational values; and
WHEREAS, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Arctic Refuge) was established in 1980, encompassing the original 8.9 million-acre wildlife range and approximately 10 million additional acres to conserve fish and wildlife populations and habitats in their natural diversity including, but not limited to, the Porcupine caribou herd, polar bears, muskoxen, snow geese, and other migratory birds, and Arctic char and grayling; and
WHEREAS, certain critical fish and wildlife habitats on the coastal plain, especially for caribou, snow geese and overwintering fish, are unique and may be irreplaceable and should not be disturbed or altered; and
WHEREAS, the Arctic Refuge coastal plain is the only portion of the entire Arctic coast of the United States which is presently closed to oil and gas exploration and development and which is congressionally designated for protection of its natural values; and
WHEREAS, critical questions remain unanswered regarding the habitat requirements of important fish and wildlife species on the Arctic Refuge coastal plain and the impacts of oil and gas development of these species; and
WHEREAS, oil and gas activities in the Arctic Refuge coastal plain could have significant adverse impacts on some unique and irreplaceable wildlife resources and habitats and would be incompatible with the purposes for which the Arctic Refuge was established; and
WHEREAS, the Congress of the United States is presently considering the question of whether oil and gas exploration and development will be permitted in the Arctic Refuge coastal plain; and
WHEREAS, the United States already consumes more energy per capita than any other industrialized nation and needs to develop a National Energy Policy designed to reduce dependence on fossil fuels; and
WHEREAS, the lack of a National Energy Policy makes it impossible for the Secretary of the Interior, Congress, and the public to make a reasoned determination on how oil and gas development on the Arctic Refuge coastal plain should contribute to domestic needs;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 16-19, 1989, in Arlington, Virginia, opposes any decision regarding oil and gas exploration and development in the Arctic Refuge coastal plain until Congress adopts a comprehensive National Energy Policy addressing reduction of dependence on fossil fuels and which will provide a basis for evaluating the need for oil and gas resources which may be present in the Arctic Refuge coastal plain; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation opposes any decision regarding oil and gas exploration and development in the Arctic Refuge coastal plain until such time as appropriate research has been completed to determine the habitat requirements and potential impacts to important fish and wildlife species on the Arctic Refuge coastal plain, and effective mitigation measures which address these impacts; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation opposes any decision authorizing oil and gas exploration and development in the Arctic Refuge coastal plain until such time as Congress establishes a program to ensure adequate support for regulatory oversight and to restore and rehabilitate habitats disturbed by oil and gas activities within the Arctic Refuge coastal plain; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation is opposed to oil and gas exploration and development within those portions of the Arctic Refuge coastal plain containing the unique and irreplaceable habitats of the Porcupine caribou herd, including their core calving area and coastal insect relief areas; fall staging areas for snow geese; overwintering areas for fish at Sadlerochit Springs and within the Sadlerochit and Hulahula Rivers; and such other critical areas further research may disclose; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation is opposed to any disposals of public lands, rights, or interests, including oil and gas interests, in the Arctic Refuge coastal plain, through trades or other means, which circumvent full public scrutiny or the National Environmental Policy Act process, or which would remove unique and irreplaceable habitats, from Arctic National Wildlife Refuge status;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation firmly rejects any arguments that the Arctic Refuge coastal plain should be opened to oil and gas development due to possible conservation benefits that may accrue outside the Arctic Refuge, and that if the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge is ever opened to oil and gas exploration and development, then the National Wildlife Federation supports, as the first priority, dedication of revenues from oil and gas development in the Arctic Refuge coastal plain to ensure adequate support for regulatory oversight and to restore and rehabilitate habitats to an equivalent condition and function as that which existed prior to disturbance by oil and gas development within the Arctic Refuge.