Today, President Obama issued Executive Order 13689 on the Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience. The order withdraws 40,300 square miles from oil and natural gas leasing using the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) released the following statement:  

“This administration has obeyed every directive from environmentalists to starve the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and block responsible development. Today’s action will make the Bering Strait a choke point for any vessel seeking to reach Alaska Natives on the North Slope who want to see economic development on their lands. Alaskans want a brighter future with growing jobs, rising incomes and a healthy economy. Unfortunately, that doesn’t fit with President Obama’s dubious legacy.”