In its final days, the Trump administration is seeking to disrupt the way progressive activists increasingly impose their will on big business: through banks controlling the loan lifelines to the
The Bureau of Land Management announces virtual public meetings for Central Yukon draft plan and analysis
Proposal would guide future management of about 13M acres in central Alaska area
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will host six virtual public meetings Jan. 26-28 and Feb. 2-4 regarding the recently published Central Yukon Draft Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/EIS).
The draft plan, released for a 90-day public comment period Dec. 11, describes how the BLM proposes to manage about 13 million acres of public lands including a utility corridor along the Dalton Highway for the next 15-20 years.
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Nobody was happy with the Berlaimont plan during a virtual meeting on Thursday, but that was to be expected not only because of the controversial nature of the proposal but also because the session was a formal objections hearing.
A staunch cadre of Berlaimont opponents lined up in front of their computer screens as the U.S. Forest Service reviewing officer for the project conducted the session.
The Berlaimont Estates proposal calls for dividing a 680-acre property located north of Interstate 70 in the Edwards area an in-holding surrounded by U.S. Forest Service property into 19 parcels of 35 acres or more. Parcels of that size are exempt from county zoning review but the developers must access the site through U.S. Forest Service land, which set off the federal review process.
The Trump Administration is planning on auctioning off drilling rights to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska beginning Jan. 6 of next year, just two weeks before the inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden. This last-minute effort to pursue oil drilling in the ANWR has sparked disputes that are greater than ever before.
Controversy over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is not a recent development. In fact, debates over oil drilling began in 1980 when President Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act which gave rights to develop oil reserves in the Arctic Refuge as long as congressional approval was granted.
When Alaska fought for statehood, it was an uphill battle. The final vote in Congress in 1958 was far from unanimous. The opposition focused on the vast size of Alaska and concerns that the federal government could not possibly provide the same level of infrastructure in Alaska it does in the Lower 48.
However, Congress ultimately recognized that Alaska is a resource rich state that could live off revenues, such as royalties and taxes, from the development of these resources. This recognition resulted in the Statehood Compact, whereby 103 million acres were to be transferred to the state of Alaska, along with the mineral rights for these lands a unique endowment for a state. Alaska would share the mineral revenues with the federal government and would fund state government operations from its share of revenues and establish an independent economy. That was the deal we made with the federal government and we ve kept our side of the bargain.