Press Release: Lawmakers Denounce President Carter's Comments on Arctic Refuge - Monument Designation for ANWR Undermines Alaska's Economic Future

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Alaska State Legislature
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Senator Drue Pearce 716 W 4th Avenue, Suite 500 Anchorage, AK 99501-2133 Phone: (907) 269-0200 Fax: (907) 269-0204 Send E-Mail	Representative Brian Porter 716 W 4th Avenue, Suite 300 Anchorage, AK 99501-2133 Phone: (907) 269-0155 Fax: (907) 269-0154 Send E-Mail	Senator Loren Leman 716 W 4th Avenue, Suite 520 Anchorage, AK 99501-2133 Phone: (907) 269-0240 Fax: (907) 269-0242 Send E-Mail

Lawmakers Denounce President Carter's Comments on Arctic Refuge
Monument Designation for ANWR
Undermines Alaska's Economic Future

For Immediate Release: August 24, 2000
Contact:	Senate President, Senator Drue Pearce at (907) 269-0200 House Speaker, Representative Brian Porter at (907) 269-0155 Senator Loren Leman at (907) 269-0240

Anchorage - Several Republican leaders in the Legislature expressed their strong disapproval of former President Jimmy Carter's public call for President Clinton to designate the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as a national monument.

"The last thing we need is another impediment to the responsible development of ANWR's coastal plain," stated Senate President Drue Pearce (R-Anchorage). "Mr. Carter is free to advise President Clinton on this issue - but it's advice the White House would be smart to ignore. Unfortunately, the former president seems caught up in outdated thinking that we cannot develop ANWR and protect the environment at the same time."

House Speaker Brian Porter (R-Anchorage) observed that opening ANWR is critical for Alaska's economy. "Declining oil production means fewer jobs and less revenue to pay for public services such as schools, new roads, and public safety. Opening ANWR will reverse this decline and place our economy on a secure footing. President Carter has a long record of being a champion of human rights - but he seems blind to the human costs of failing to develop ANWR."

Finance Committee member Senator Loren Leman (R-Anchorage) stated that Alaskans should have the right to decide the future of ANWR. "This is yet another instance of outsiders attempting to decide how Alaska's future is going to look - without bothering to consult Alaskans. Our state is not a 'fishbowl' for the rest of the nation to place on a shelf as a permanent exhibit. We are the people who live here and work here and raise our families here. We also have the most to lose if development of ANWR is not done correctly. Alaska has a strong record of environmentally responsible development - a record which President Carter appears to ignore."

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Attachments:

Governor Tony Knowles' Open Letter to Former President Jimmy Carter
Former President Jimmy Carter's Comments on Preserving the ANWR Plain., published in the Anchorage Daily News on 08/24/00.