"Urging the United States Congress to pass legislation to open the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, to oil and gas exploration, development, and production. "

House Joint Resolution 4 urges the United States Congress to pass legislation to open the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to environmentally responsible oil and gas exploration, development and production.

Opening ANWR is vital to relieving Alaska's financial pressures, protecting Alaskans' jobs and sustaining our economic growth. Oil production from ANWR will improve America's energy security and provide new jobs throughout the country.

Alaska has proven that Arctic oil and gas resources can be developed in an environmentally responsible manner consistent with protection of wildlife and preservation of traditional lifestyles and human values. Exploration in ANWR will be the most environmentally and socially responsible oil development undertaken anywhere in the world.

Alaska's persistent and patient efforts to educate Americans and build the national consensus we need to access our resources within ANWR have been successful. With the seating of a new Congress in Washington, we are on the brink of achieving our objective. It is vitally important that the 24th Alaska Legislature endorses previous legislatures' efforts, demonstrate our solidarity and enthusiastically state our support for opening ANWR.

This resolution mirrors those passed by previous Alaska legislatures and will be a cornerstone of this legislature's commitment to responsibly develop our natural resources, promote sustained economic expansion, create good job opportunities for our citizens and assure safe, growing and healthy communities throughout our state.

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