Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, member of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, praised the Biden administration’s move to suspend all oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
“In a rushed, illegal process, the coastal plain of America’s Arctic Refuge was not only sold off but virtually given away, against the interests of taxpayers and the Indigenous peoples and wildlife that depend on these pristine lands,” said Rep. Huffman. “The Biden administration’s reversal of this injustice is an important step toward ending the fossil fuel industry’s reckless reign of impunity under the Trump administration. While throwing out these illegal leases is an important reprieve for the Arctic Refuge, our work is not done. This whole misadventure underscores the importance of achieving permanent protection for the coastal plain. I look forward to working with President Biden and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland toward that end, and I applaud them for the leadership and integrity they showed today.”
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