The following map, from the Institute for Energy Research, shows how much land would be off-limits if Obama’s proposed ANWR wilderness plan (12.28 million acres) were added to existing ANWR wilderness areas (7.16 million acres). That would cover a strip of land extending the length of D.C. to Boston that is 77 miles wide:
President Obama’s wilderness proposal is less about protecting ANWR than preventing energy development. It is part of a larger effort to starve the Alaska Pipeline, which is operating at just one-quarter of total capacity despite the state’s vast energy resources. Alaskans deserve better.