[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 23, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E532]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   THE MORRIS K. UDALL WILDERNESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BRUCE F. VENTO

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 23, 1999

  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, I once again stand before Congress to 
introduce the ``Morris K. Udall Wilderness Act.'' This bipartisan 
legislation truly shows that both Democrats and Republicans alike can 
come together and work on the important conservation issues facing 
Congress today and strive to preserve America's last great frontier, 
the 1.5 million acre coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife 
Refuge.
  Although the introduction of the Morris K. Udall Wilderness Act 
brings anticipation for the year to come, it is not a cause to 
celebrate for tomorrow marks the ten year anniversary of the Exxon 
Valdez oil spill. Ten years did not heal the wounds inflicted on Prince 
William Sound, and neither did it lessen our memory of this terrible 
event. Yet a decade later, despite the lessons that should have been 
learned, powerful, special interests seek to plunder this wilderness, 
and threaten the existence of an entire ecosystem for oil that will 
yield no return at today's oil prices.
  Thanks to the late Chairman Mo Udall's perseverance and dedication to 
the environment, the Arctic Refuge has been spared from the oil 
companies and the scarring effects of oil and gas exploration. We must 
remain united and continue his legacy to fight for the permanent 
preservation of the Arctic Refuge's coastal plain. Preventing the 
exploitation of the coastal plain is one of many solutions that can be 
employed today to protect Alaska's natural beauty and to prevent 
another tragedy similar to the one that occurred in Prince William 
Sound ten years ago. The exploitation of the coastal plain's virgin 
land threatens the existence of a 1,000 generation old culture, the 
Gwich'in of Northeast Alaska who rely on the 150,000 strong Porcupine 
Caribou herd--one of the world's largest and North America's last free 
roaming herd. The displacement of this herd as result of oil 
exploration and development could throw nature's delicate balance into 
a tailspin. Bringing this balance to equilibrium is further complicated 
because of the extremely long recovery period of the Arctic. In 
addition to the Porcupine Caribou, the Arctic Refuge is home to more 
than 200 species of wildlife ranging from muskoxen to polar bears. If 
we destroy a species, it could send a shockwave through the entire 
ecosystem and impact every species in its footprint--a devastating 
biological echo.
  The United States, as a world leader in preserving lands of 
significant and symbolic value, cannot let this sort of degradation 
occur to its land or wildlife. We have only one chance to save the 
beauty of this natural landscape, the crown jewel of America's 
wilderness system, for generations of younger Americans. Once it is 
gone, it is gone forever--nature can never truly recover from such 
adverse actions visited upon its fabric, an attack upon the scope and 
breadth of life that, for now, call this place home.

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