House Passes Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protective Act

In a vote of 225-193, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protective Act preventing the Bureau of land Management from holding lease sales on the Arctic Coastal Plain.

Despite the vote by the House, Trump has said he will veto the bill if it manages to reach his desk. The bill has no chance of passage in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Representative Young said of California Democrat Jared Huffman, who sponsored H.R. 1146, “My colleague has steadily tried to create policy for Alaskans. He constantly tells my constituents how they should run their state. The Congressman from California certainly takes a great interest in how we Alaskans operate. I would suggest he pay more attention to the issues in his own back yard and let me handle mine.”

Alaska’s Representative said the the Gwich’in natives are being “used for a sham,” and called the bill the same. He said that his colleagues who supported the bill that they did a “great disservice” to Alaska and its natives. He said of the bill, “It’s not going to become a law,” and told his fellow House members that he hopes they understand that the lease sale will go forward.

The Bureau of Land Management says that an ANWR sale is still expected to take place later this year.