Pew Commends Interior for Adopting Balanced Plan on National Petroleum Reserve Lands
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Joshua Reichert, an executive vice president at The Pew Charitable Trusts who leads the organization's environmental work, issued the following statement today applauding the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for approving a management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska that protects critical wildlife habitat.
"This decision is the Obama Administration's crowning land conservation accomplishment to date. After years of thoughtful review, consideration of scientific studies and extensive public input, the department has achieved the first comprehensive management blueprint for this globally significant area. This balanced plan protects some of America's greatest treasures in the Arctic while allowing for measured resource development.
"The U.S. government's actions preserve core calving and migration areas for two of the state's largest caribou herds, maintaining critical subsistence resources for more than 40 communities in northern and western Alaska. This plan fulfills the congressional intent for the reserve by protecting vital wildlife, waterfowl, and fish habitat; safeguarding subsistence opportunities; and allowing for extraction of the majority of the area's oil. It is a model for sustainably managing our Arctic resources, both onshore and off. We thank Secretary Salazar and his staff at the Department of the Interior and Bureau of Land Management for their vision and leadership."
The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public, and stimulate civic life. For more information, visit www.PewEnvironment.org.
Contact: Brian Geiger, 202.540.6431, [email protected]
Mary Engel, 206.491.3365, [email protected]
SOURCE Pew Charitable Trusts
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