I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 770

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 13, 2003

Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. 

ACKERMAN, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. BAIRD, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BALLANCE, 

Mr. BASS, Mr. BECERRA, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. BISHOP of 

New York, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. BOUCHER, Ms. 

CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. CARDIN, Ms. CARSON of Indiana, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. CLAY, Mr. COSTELLO, Mr. CROWLEY, 

Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. DAVIS of Florida, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. 

DEFAZIO, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. 

DEUTSCH, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. ENGEL, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. ETHERIDGE, Mr. 

EVANS, Mr. FARR, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. FILNER, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. FORD, Mr. GEPHARDT, Mr. GRIJALVA, 

Mr. GUTIERREZ, Ms. HARMAN, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. HILL, Mr. 

HINCHEY, Mr. HOEFFEL, Mr. HOLT, Mr. HONDA, Ms. HOOLEY of Oregon, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. EDDIE

BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. KENNEDY of 

Rhode Island, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. KLECZKA, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. 

LANGEVIN, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. LEACH, Ms. LEE, Mr. LEVIN, Ms. 

LOFGREN, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. LYNCH, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. MATSUI, Mrs. 

MCCARTHY of New York, Ms. MCCARTHY of Missouri, Ms. MCCOLLUM, 

Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. 

MEEKS of New York, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. MICHAUD, Ms. MILLENDERMCDONALD, Mr. MILLER of North Carolina, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of 

California, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. NADLER, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. 

NEAL of Massachusetts, Ms. NORTON, Mr. OBEY, Mr. OLVER, Mr. 

OWENS, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. PASTOR, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. 

PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. ROTHMAN, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. SABO, Ms. LINDA T. SA ́NCHEZ of California, Ms. LORETTA

SANCHEZ of California, Mr. SANDERS, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHIFF, 

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. 

SLAUGHTER, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. SNYDER, Ms. SOLIS, Mr. 

SPRATT, Mr. STARK, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. 
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UDALL of Colorado, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. 

VAN HOLLEN, Mr. VISCLOSKY, Ms. WATSON, Mr. WATT, Mr. WAXMAN, 

Mr. WEINER, Mr. WEXLER, Ms. WOOLSEY, and Mr. WU) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources 

A BILL

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.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Morris K. Udall Arctic 

5 Wilderness Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Americans cherish the continued existence 

9 of expansive, unspoiled wilderness ecosystems and 

10 wildlife found on their public lands, and feel a 

11 strong moral responsibility to protect this wilderness 

12 heritage as an enduring resource to bequeath undis13 turbed to future generations of Americans. 

14 (2) It is widely believed by ecologists, wildlife 

15 scientists, public land specialists, and other experts 

16 that the wilderness ecosystem centered around and 
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1 dependent upon the Arctic coastal plain of the Arctic 

2 National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, represents the 

3 very epitome of a primeval wilderness ecosystem and 

4 constitutes the greatest wilderness area and diversity 

5 of wildlife habitats of its kind in the United States. 

6 (3) President Dwight D. Eisenhower initiated 

7 protection of the wilderness values of the Arctic 

8 coastal plain in 1960 when he set aside 8,900,000 

9 acres establishing the Arctic National Wildlife Ref10 uge expressly ‘‘for the purpose of preserving unique 

11 wildlife, wilderness and recreational values’’. 

12 (4) Congress strengthened the protective man13 agement of the Eisenhower-designated area in 1980 

14 with the enactment of the Alaska National Interest 

15 Lands Conservation Act (Public Law 96–487; 94 

16 Stat. 2371), section 303(2) of which established the 

17 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, more than doubled 

18 the size of the wildlife refuge, and extended statu19 tory wilderness protection to most of the original 

20 area. 

21 (5) Before the enactment of the Alaska Na22 tional Interest Lands Conservation Act, the House 

23 of Representatives twice passed legislation that 

24 would have protected the entire Eisenhower-des-
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1 ignated area as wilderness, including the Arctic 

2 coastal plain. 

3 (6) A majority of Americans have supported 

4 and continue to support preserving and protecting 

5 the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, including the 

6 Arctic coastal plain, from any industrial development 

7 and consider oil and gas exploration and develop8 ment in particular to be incompatible with the pur9 poses for which this incomparable wilderness eco10 system has been set aside. 

11 (7) Canada has taken action to preserve those 

12 portions of the wilderness ecosystem of the Arctic 

13 that exist on its side of the international border and 

14 provides strong legal protection for the habitat of 

15 the Porcupine River caribou herd that migrates an16 nually through both countries to calve on the Arctic 

17 coastal plain. 

18 (8) The extension of full wilderness protection 

19 for the Arctic coastal plain within the Arctic Na20 tional Wildlife Refuge will still leave 95 percent of 

21 the North Slope of Alaska without such wilderness 

22 protection, so that development of energy resources 

23 in Alaska can continue to contribute significantly to 

24 meeting the energy needs of the United States with-
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1 out despoiling the unique Arctic coastal plain of the 

2 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 

3 (b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—Congress hereby de4 clares that it is the policy of the United States—

5 (1) to honor the decades of bipartisan efforts 

6 that have increasingly protected the great wilderness 

7 ecosystem of the Arctic coastal plain; 

8 (2) to sustain this natural treasure for the cur9 rent generation of Americans; and 

10 (3) to do everything possible to protect and pre11 serve this magnificent natural ecosystem so that it 

12 may be bequeathed in its unspoiled natural condition 

13 to future generations of Americans. 

14 SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF ADDITIONAL WILDERNESS, ARC15 TIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, ALASKA. 

16 (a) INCLUSION OF ARCTIC COASTAL PLAIN.—In fur17 therance of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), 

18 an area within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the 

19 State of Alaska comprising approximately 1,559,538 

20 acres, as generally depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Arctic Na21 tional Wildlife Refuge—1002 Area Alternative E—Wilder22 ness Designation’’, dated October 28, 1991, and available 

23 for inspection in the offices of the Secretary of the Inte24 rior, is hereby designated as wilderness and, therefore, as 
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1 a component of the National Wilderness Preservation Sys2 tem. 

3 (b) ADMINISTRATION.—The area designated as wil4 derness under subsection (a) shall be administered by the 

5 Secretary of the Interior in accordance with the provisions 

6 of the Wilderness Act as part of the wilderness area al7 ready in existence within the Arctic National Wildlife Ref8 uge as of the date of the enactment of this Act.

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