Congress Opens Alaska Wildlife Refuges to Extreme Hunting Interests

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a move championed by Rep. Young and Senator Murkowski, the Senate today passed a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Alaska National Wildlife Refuges Rule. Voiding the rule undermines the management of public lands in Alaska, ceding control of wildlife management on national public lands to a narrow set of extreme hunting interests.

In response, Alli Harvey, Alaska Representative with Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign issued the following statement.

“Targeting cubs with mothers, baiting, and other extreme hunting measures promoted by this resolution have no place on our public lands. This resolution undermines science-based wildlife management and the basic premise of public lands as places for wildlife conservation. It overrides fundamental national environmental safeguards in the name of narrow special interests.

“Across the country wildlife refuges and other public lands support an amazing array of wildlife, recreation opportunities and outdoor economies. It’s time Republicans in Congress open their eyes to widespread opposition to this kind of resolution, and the overwhelming support among the American people for protecting public lands, and the wildlife and people that rely on them.”

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