President Obama announced that he would unilaterally set aside 12 million acres in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as wilderness. This announcement comes after last year’s designation of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument -- that locked up nearly 500,000 acres of southern New Mexico. U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce (NM-02) issued the following statement in response:
“The President continues to ignore the will of the people by unilaterally seizing lands across the west. He made a similar move last year when he ignored the will of the people in southern New Mexico by designating the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument,” Pearce said.
“This wilderness designation will prevent Alaska from safely developing natural resources that would create jobs, increase state revenue, and strengthen America’s energy independence.
“In his State of the Union speech the President expressed his willingness to work with Congress, but once again has acted on his own accord instead of listening to the American people. I will continue to fight this President’s repeated overreach by ensuring that the people who are affected most by these designations will have a say in the process,” Pearce added.