{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://donyoung.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398801", "Alaska Delegation Slams Decision  to Strip Arctic Leases from New OCS Plan", "2016-11-18", "2016", "2016-11", "Republican", "House", "AK", "Don Young", "Y000033", "donyoung.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, and U.S. Rep. Don Young, all R-Alaska, today condemned the Obama administration\u2019s decision to remove two Alaska lease sales \u2013 one each in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas \u2013 from its \u201cProposed Final Program\u201d for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) leasing for 2017-2022.\r\nEliminating the program\u2019s Arctic sales will yield the weakest offshore development plan in American history and lock up vast resources that are needed to grow our economy, protect national security and keep energy affordable for American families and businesses.\r\n\u201cFor years, the Obama Administration has tried to convince the American people that it supports an \u201call-of-the-above\u201d energy policy. Yet, it has consistently delivered crippling blows to the Alaskan people in the form of new regulatory obstacles, insurmountable roadblocks, and overly prescriptive regulations \u2013 making in nearly impossible for new development to occur,\u201d\u00a0Young said.\u00a0\u201cToday\u2019s announcement \u2013 politically driven and meant to appease the nation\u2019s most extreme environmental groups \u2013 represents some of the worst decision making we\u2019ve seen over the last eight years.\u00a0I truly wish I could say I was surprised, but this administration has never been serious about Arctic OCS development. With the writing on the wall, we\u2019ve taken numerous steps in Congress to enhance Arctic lease sales \u2013 going as far as passing an amendment to the House Interior Appropriations bill that would have prevented this lease removal from taking place. Make no mistake, this blatant disregard for Alaska\u2019s social and economic future will be overturned. The Obama Administration has simply added one more obstacle to the list.\u201d\u201cPresident Obama is well aware that the vast majority of Alaskans want OCS development, and I am infuriated that he has once again ignored our voices to side with the factions who oppose it,\u201d Murkowski said. \u201cWe have shown that Arctic development is one of the best ways to create jobs, generate revenues, and refill the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Why the president is willing to send all of those benefits overseas is beyond explanation. And it is even more stunning that just one day after urging the new administration to stand up to Russia, he continues to cede leadership on Arctic energy production to them. I will do all that I can to counteract this shortsighted decision.\u201d\r\n\u201cWith this action, the Obama Administration is once again capitulating to the demands of extreme environmental groups over Alaskans and their fellow Americans who want good-paying jobs, energy independence and a strong economy,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cFor nearly eight years this Administration has given lip service to an \u2018all of the above energy strategy,\u2019 when their actions say the opposite. As Alaska\u2019s Attorney General, Commissioner for the Department of Natural Resources, and U.S. Senator, I\u2019ve fought this Administration every step of the way in their concerted efforts to lock up Alaska\u2019s resources and turn our state into one giant national park. We will work hard to reverse the latest damage the Obama Administration has done to our citizens, economy and future. Let\u2019s hope that this is the final chapter in the Obama Administration\u2019s harmful legacy of putting the interests of anti-energy activists over those of hard-working Alaskans and their families. Our state and country still have a promising future in responsible resource development. I am hopeful that with the incoming Trump Administration we will be able to reach our potential as a state and nation in this important area.\u201d\r\nAlaska\u2019s offshore areas contain prolific energy resources. According to Interior\u2019s own technical analysts, the Beaufort and Chukchi seas form one of the most prospective basins in the world. Together, these areas are projected to hold 23.6 billion barrels of oil and 104.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. For perspective, that is enough to meet all of California\u2019s demands for oil and natural gas for 37.5 years and 43.5 years, respectively.\r\nAccording to a 2011 analysis by the firm Northern Economics, development of the resources in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas would create an annual average of 55,000 jobs over a 50-year period. Those jobs would create a total payroll of $145 billion over that span. Development is also projected to generate a total of $193 billion for local, state and federal treasuries. According to a 2014 poll, some 73 percent of Alaskans support Arctic OCS development.\r\nWhile calling out the previous, draft offshore leasing plan as a bare minimum effort, the congressional delegation repeatedly urged the Obama administration to keep both Arctic lease sales in its final program. For example, in May, Chairman Murkowski led a delegation letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and chaired an oversight hearing of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on this issue.\u00a0\r\nThe Alaska delegation is now reviewing the Proposed Final Program and will determine what actions can be taken to ensure that Alaska\u2019s federal waters are part of a more robust and economically beneficial offshore program during the next administration.\r\n\u00a0\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://donyoung.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398801"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.816734042018652, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}