[House Document 114-25]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




114th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - -  - House Document 114-25

 
REVISION TO THE COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION PLAN FOR THE ARCTIC NATIONAL

                            WILDLIFE REFUGE

                               __________

                             COMMUNICATION

                                  from

                     THEPRESIDENTOFTHEUNITEDSTATES

                              transmitting

   A REVISION TO THE COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION PLAN FOR THE ARCTIC 
 NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE TO INCLUDE THE ATIGUN RIVER, HULAHULA RIVER, 
    KONGAKUT RIVER, AND MARSH FORK CANNING RIVER, PURSUANT TO SEC. 
304(g)(1) OF THE ALASKA NATIONAL INTEREST LANDS CONSERVATION ACT, PUB. 
                               L. 96-487

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


  April 13, 2015.--Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and 
                         ordered to be printed
                                           The White House,
                                         Washington, April 3, 2015.
Hon. John Boehner,
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Speaker: Pursuant to section 304(g)(1) of the 
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), 
Public Law 96-487, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) 
has revised the Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and 
completed an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the 
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The revised CCP will guide the 
Service's management of the refuge for the next 15 years.
    Based on the best available science and extensive public 
comment, the Service's preferred alternative recommends 12.28 
million acres--including the Coastal Plain--for designation as 
wilderness. The Service also recommends four rivers--the 
Atigun, Hulahula, Kongakut, and Marsh Fork Canning--for 
inclusion into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
    The Service's revised CCP and final EIS address a variety 
of needs, including preserving subsistence uses of local 
inhabitants, protecting fish and wildlife populations and their 
habitats, and ensuring opportunities for fish- and wildlife-
dependent recreation and other public uses. The revised CCP 
also strengthens wildlife and habitat monitoring as well as the 
monitoring of public use of the refuge so as to better respond 
to changing conditions on the landscape, particularly those 
associated with climate change.
    With these points in mind, and pursuant to the Wilderness 
Act of 1964, I am recommending that the Congress pass 
legislation making additions to the National Wilderness 
Preservation System and the National Wild and Scenic Rivers 
System that the Service proposed as part of the revised CCP and 
final EIS for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This area is 
one of the most beautiful, undisturbed places in the world. It 
is a national treasure and should be permanently protected 
through legislation for future generations.
    Attached is the letter of recommendation from the Secretary 
of the Interior and a map of the area.
            Sincerely,
                                                      Barack Obama.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]