What This Bill Does
This bill eliminates the oil and gas program at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. It also protects approximately 1,559,538 acres of the Arctic coastal plain by designating it as wilderness, which means the land will be preserved in its natural state.
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Who It Affects
The bill directly affects the Secretary of the Interior, who manages federal lands. It impacts the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. It affects any future oil and gas activities that would have occurred in this area.
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Key Provisions
- The oil and gas program established in Public Law 115-97 is cancelled and removed from law (Sec. 2)
- Approximately 1,559,538 acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's coastal plain are officially designated as wilderness under the Wilderness Act (Sec. 3a)
- The Secretary of the Interior must manage the newly protected area as wilderness following the same rules as the existing wilderness area already in the refuge (Sec. 3b)
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What Changes
If this bill becomes law, oil and gas exploration and drilling would no longer be permitted in the designated Arctic coastal plain area. The land would become part of the National Wilderness Preservation System, a federal protection status that restricts development and commercial activities.
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Important Definitions
None defined in the bill text.
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I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 724
To amend Public Law 115–97 (commonly known as the Tax Cuts and
Jobs Act) to repeal the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil and gas
program, and to preserve the Arctic coastal plain of the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, as wilderness in recognition of its extraordinary
natural ecosystems and for the permanent good of present and future
generations of Americans.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 1, 2023
Mr. HUFFMAN (for himself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. BEYER, Ms. BONAMICI,
Mr. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms. CHU, Mr. CONNOLLY,
Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. EVANS,
Mr. FOSTER, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. JACOBS, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. KHANNA,
Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Ms. LEE of Cali-
fornia, Mr. LEVIN, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms.
MENG, Mr. NADLER, Mr. NEGUSE, Ms. OMAR, Mr. POCAN, Ms. PORTER,
Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms.
STANSBURY, Mr. SWALWELL, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. TOKUDA, Ms.
BARRAGA´N, and Mr. RASKIN) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Natural Resources
A BILL
To amend Public Law 115–97 (commonly known as the
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act) to repeal the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge oil and gas program, and to preserve
the Arctic coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge, Alaska, as wilderness in recognition of its ex-
traordinary natural ecosystems and for the permanent
good of present and future generations of Americans.
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•HR 724 IH
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Arctic Refuge Protec-
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tion Act’’.
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SEC. 2. REPEAL OF ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
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OIL AND GAS PROGRAM.
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Section 20001 of Public Law 115–97 is hereby re-
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pealed.
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SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF ADDITIONAL WILDERNESS, ARC-
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TIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, ALASKA.
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(a) DESIGNATION.—Notwithstanding any other pro-
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vision of law, a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Ref-
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uge in Alaska comprising approximately 1,559,538 acres,
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as generally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Arctic National
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Wildlife Refuge, Coastal Plain Proposed Wilderness’’,
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dated October 20, 2015, labeled with Map ID 03–0172,
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and available for inspection in the offices of the Secretary
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of the Interior, is designated as a component of the Na-
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tional Wilderness Preservation System under the Wilder-
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ness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.).
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(b) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary of the Interior
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shall administer the area designated as wilderness by sub-
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section (a) in accordance with the Wilderness Act as part
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of the wilderness area already in existence within the Arc-
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•HR 724 IH
tic National Wildlife Refuge as of the date of the enact-
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ment of this Act.
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Æ
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